


A Stitch In Time

by dragonwrangler



Category: Marvel 1602
Genre: 1602 - Freeform, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Gen, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-19
Updated: 2013-11-02
Packaged: 2017-12-26 12:28:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 37,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/965920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonwrangler/pseuds/dragonwrangler
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Heroes are not always what you expect them to be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Based on a plot bunny from rainangelkerro. Crossover between Venger City RP and issue #8 of Marvel's 1602 miniseries. Events in Tokyo are from a Venger City thread by rainangelkerro and FaeRuenShin.
> 
> Disclaimer- All Marvel characters are the property of Marvel Comics. Some of the dialogue belongs to Neil Gaiman and Marvel. Luke Stark belongs to Rainangelkerro and Flame O'Reily belongs to FaeRuenShin and both were kind enough to let me borrow them and the Tokyo scenes for this story. Mala is the only one who belongs to me.

 " _ **I’m not a hero."  -**_ **Luke Stark**

They say that every myth has a grain of truth at its center no matter how outrageous it seemed. Luke Stark wouldn’t have considered Godzilla a myth—more like a Hollywood legend—but apparently there was a grain of truth to that story as well; one that was trying its best to bite his head off at the moment.

Ending up on the pavement, after underestimating how powerful the thing was, Luke drew on the Ionic energy he had inherited from his grandfather (or got saddled with; his view about that varied depending on his mood), and levitated off the pavement; focusing on the creature. It was  charging towards a group of people stuck between the remains of a fallen electronic sign flashing half of a bright yellow and red ad, and a crumpled car the creature had tossed through the air.

The creature lumbering towards them didn’t look like the various versions of Godzillas he’d grown up with but it seemed to be able to pack just as powerful a punch at the one in the movies. The only reason he was thinking of it as Godzilla was because it was rampaging through downtown Tokyo. The name seemed to fit the situation.

Wanting to make sure the thing kept its attention on him instead of the helpless spectators, Luke shouted, “That all you got, ugly?” When that didn’t work, Luke lifted a hand and shifted some of the energy around him to expel a bolt of electricity at the creature. That got its attention. The creature roared, the sound echoing off the few remaining windows surrounding them, and turned around.

“Hey light show!” Luke heard a woman’s voice shout from somewhere below and behind him. “Quit showing off and kick the damn thing's arse! Don't make an old lady get in there and show you how it's done!” Looking back, he saw his companion, Flame O’Reilly, turning to put out the fires the creature’s rampage had set off. What she was doing to extinguish the fires he couldn’t quite figure out how. All things considered, he had no idea how he was doing the things he was doing. Luke had a suspicion it was a mix of science and magic. He knew at the core, his power had something to do with the rearranging of electrons in the ions that were part of his cellular structure and any within his immediate area. How he was able to manipulate those ions and convert the energy that was released into something usable was beyond his level of comprehension. He was a builder, a tinkerer, not a chemist or physicist. Someday he might figure it all out but for now all he needed to know was that the power was there and he could use it.

Turning back to the creature, Luke discovered it had learned caution. It was slowly circling around him; checking him out. Its head tilted to one side, then to the other as if trying to get a better look. A growl slipped out of the thing and it bared its teeth, long and sharp; and for just a moment Luke was trapped in an old memory. He had been younger then—eleven, no more-- and trapped in a struggle with his grandfather, Count Luchino Nefaria, over control of his body. The Count—reduced to nothing more than a spirit—had tried breaking him by letting him have control just as a monster had attacked them. Of the first attack Luke only remembered teeth and claws and the rending pain that had followed. That had been when he had discovered he was apparently immortal but that knowledge had done nothing to banish the terror he felt whenever the monster had come after him.

He could taste that terror now as the creature, as if sensing his distraction, roared and charged him.

Anger surged up; anger at the memory of that monster, at his grandfather, and at the uncle he had just met who had pissed him off so much that Flame had dragged him across the Pacific Ocean so he could get his act back together before he did something stupid. The Ionic energy responded to his state of mind, gathering around his balled up fists and charging the air around him until it crackled with electricity. Propelling himself above the creature, Luke then dove, his arms held out before him. The creature tried to turn into his attack but before it could lift its head and grab him with its teeth, Luke slammed his fists into its head, driving through the skull and into the soft tissue beneath it. The creature staggered under the impact and began to fall. Elbow deep in the creature, Luke expected to fall with it; instead, the energy cut across the creature’s head in opposition to the direction of its fall. Shocked—he couldn’t even feel the bone that the power was cutting through—he yanked his hands back and shot upwards a few feet. He barely heard the impact of several tons of dead flesh striking the pavement below him.

Lifting his hands, he stared at them. There was no blood, no brain tissue, no bruising from the impact. He curled his fingers then spread them out. Electricity sparkled across his skin and there was the sharp tang of ozone in the air. He looked past his hands at the creature below just as the body gave one final shudder.

_I just took down Godzilla. Holy crap. God-freaking-zilla._

“Cops are coming.” Luke jerked to the side, startled, then realized the voice was below him, not next to him. He quickly dropped to the ground beside Flame; unable to tell what she thought about all that had just happened; her expression concealed by the mask she was wearing. Luke absently reached up and was surprised when his hand came in contact with the steel demon samurai mask he was wearing to hide his own identity. He’d forgotten all about it.

Luke shook his head, trying to clear it, and watched as Flame held her hand out. A small red glow surrounded her fingers then flashed to the body of the creature. It began to burn though there were no flames consuming it. Closing her hand, cutting off the glow, she turned to him and said, “Last thing you need is an interview. Hightail it somewhere and change while I deal with the media.” He nodded his head but continued to stare at the creature as part of his mind registered the fact Flame’s voice was flat, almost without emotion while another part became aware of the rising excitement swelling around him as the survivors of the creature’s rampage began to cheer.

“And Luke?” He turned as Flame raised her mask up enough to reveal a smile and a wink. “You were great, even if you showed off too much.” Dropping the mask back in place, Flame nodded her head then headed towards the largest group of reporters. It was only when she began waving a hand in the direction of the creature’s remains that he noticed she had switched from the traditional festival clothing she had been wearing before the attack to a one piece red uniform with an insignia on the shoulder that he didn’t recognize.

The sound of the news copters moving in to get a better shot of the aftermath of the fight pulled Luke’s thoughts away from puzzling out the insignia on Flame’s uniform. The reporters didn’t concern him all that much; what did concern him was what Colonel Fury was going to think when word about this reached him. He had no doubt SHIELD was already monitoring the situation and since they could track the signature of his Ionic energy would know that he was involved. He wasn’t sure he wanted to wait and see what would happen when SHIELD arrived to clean up. Checking the air above him and finding it still clear of aerial obstructions, Luke jumped into the air, using the Ionic energy to propel himself skywards. Before he could clear the buildings though, he came to a sudden stop as if reaching the end of a rope. Confused, he looked down.

A shimmering light was rising up from the huge pile of ash that was all that remained of the creature. The light had reached his legs and was quickly moving up his body to envelope him. Before he could try shooting himself free with a burst of Ionic energy, the light had passed his hands then his chest, then his head. The light held him still; trapped like a bug in amber. Luke tried to draw in a breath but the light flashed into a kaleidoscope of colors before shifting to blinding white, washing out all coherent thought. Luke felt himself falling, heard Flame cry out, “Luke!”, and then felt nothing at all.

When he came to, Luke found himself on his back staring up at a sky full of bright clouds that reached high into the sky. _Stratocumulus_ , his mind offered. Luke blinked then turned his head slightly to look at the trees swaying in a breeze that was flowing across the clearing he was lying in. Tall blades of grass whispered as the breeze rubbed them against their neighbor and a bird warbled from somewhere nearby.

Luke drew in a breath then coughed when something tickled the back of his throat. Sitting up, his eyes screwed shut, he continued to cough until the tickle let up then he looked down at where he had landed.

He was sitting in the middle of a pile of ash.

Scrambling to his feet, Luke quickly moved to the edge of the pile. The shape matched the remains of the creature he’d just fought but instead of lying on asphalt in the middle of downtown Tokyo, it was now lying in a meadow that—going by the foliage—was nowhere near Japan.

“Great.”

Taking another step back, Luke bumped into a tree. The impact reminded him that he was still wearing his backpack. After a quick look down at the ash covered obi and hakama he was wearing, Luke decided that it might be best to deal with things one step at a time.

After swinging the backpack off, Luke stripped off the soiled clothing and mask and slipped on a pair of jeans and sweater. It was warmer here than it had been in Tokyo, and there was no sign of snow, but it still registered as close to freezing to him. Hell, even California felt cold to him even though everyone at the Avenger mansion considered it warm enough to wear t-shirts and swim trunks.

Carefully wrapping the ash dulled blue and silver kimono and the matching hakama pants around the mask, Luke placed them in the backpack then dug out his cell phone to send a text to Tony. It had only been a few weeks since he’d found out that Tony Stark was his biological father; but Tony would never be dad in his mind. Dale Johnson, the man who had raised him, was dad; and Dale Johnson was dead.

Luke's hands began to shake before he could turn the phone on.

_What were you thinking, playing hero again? Did you forget what happened the last time you tried to be a hero? Dad died. He never would have been trapped in the Reactor Chamber if you hadn’t barged in trying to rescue him. He might have reached the control station and helped the Avengers shut the system down if he hadn’t stopped to make sure you were all right first. Instead, Iron Man was forced to blow everything up to stop Nefaria and dad died when the Castle collapsed, crushed under all the debris that fell through the chamber._

Luke sank to his knees, curling over the cell phone clenched in his hand. “Stop,” he whispered— he didn't want to remember what had happened at his grandfather's castle all those years ago— but his conscience wasn’t about to let him get off easy.

_Dad was a hero, not you. You have no business playing hero; not when you are your own worst enemy. How many people do you think were injured by your fight with that creature? How many people were injured when the windows shattered? You remember what it’s like to get hit with falling glass; how it slices the skin and that even if you try and protect yourself with your arms over your head, you’ll still end up with shards of glass embedded in your skin and blood covering your eyes._

“It wasn't me,” Luke growled through clenched teeth. "I didn't break..."

_Maybe not, but you could have easily led it somewhere more open to deal with it instead of putting the local population at risk. All you wanted was something to beat up to relieve some stress. Is that how a hero should be thinking? What did you say to Flame? Now…just need an excuse to be a hero?_

“Enough!” A crow squawked and burst out of the tree above him. Luke closed his eyes and drew in several deep breaths as he mentally shoved his inner critic into a box and threw away the key. He knew that he couldn’t really put it in a box but the illusion was a nice one right now.

When he opened his eyes, he started to call up Tony’s number then paused when he noticed the message on the screen.

“No signal?” he said. “You’re a Stark phone; how can you have no signal?” He tried to pick up a non-Stark Industries wireless network but that only changed the message to no network in range.

Luke stared at the phone for a few seconds, flipped it over to see if he had cracked the case when he’d hit the pavement earlier in the fight, or when he’d landed on the creature’s remains, but nothing jumped out at him. Shaking his head and muttering a few swear words under his breath; he shut it off and shoved it into a pocket. Pushing off the ground, Luke stood up and swung the backpack up onto his shoulders as he checked the position of the sun. It looked like it was just after dawn but since he didn’t know exactly where he was, he couldn’t be sure about that. Deciding his best bet was to get a little height to see if he could figure out where he was, Luke concentrated on pulling out some Ionic energy to put him in the air.

Nothing happened.

Luke looked down, a scowl on his face. His first thought was that his powers were gone, but then he realized they were being blocked. He pushed against the wall that seemed to have sprung up between him and the Ionic energy flowing through him but nothing happened. The wall didn’t budge.

“Yeah, this day just keeps getting better and better.” He blew out a breath before looking up at the tree behind him. Well, if he couldn’t fly…

Climbing the tree proved more difficult than he had expected. It used to be something he’d been good at back when he’d been a kid; clearly he’d been relying on his powers a little too much.

When he reached the top, Luke found no telltale signs of civilization; no plumes of smoke, no plane contrails in the sky, no clearings or cuts in the trees indicating towns, roads, or highways. Twisting slightly to look behind him, Luke thought things were the same there but then noticed what looked like the mast of a sailing ship visible between a break in the landscape. Beyond it, Luke could see the glitter of water.

Sighing, he fixed the direction of the ship in his head and shimmied down the tree. He guessed it was either someone filming a movie, or that was someone’s expensive toy. Either way, there would be people near the thing. He dropped to the ground and set off for the ship.

It was late afternoon when he slid through a gap between two boulders and down to the shore. He’d caught sight of the mast again an hour earlier, but figuring out how to get to it had proved difficult.

Down on the beach, he could smell salt in the air. A frown settled on his face. The Ionic energy within him reacted badly to salt water and he doubted that had changed even if he could no longer access that power.

Making sure he stayed a good distance from the water, Luke walked a few feet to get a better view of the ship. It was a tall ship—wooden body with two tall masts with furled sails tied to the crossbars, and a bowsprit, also furled. He could see no movement on the deck of the ship; the only thing that did move was the flags attached to the top of the two masts.

As he moved around an outcropping of rock that slopped down and out into the water like a pier, the wind shifted and Luke’s nose twitched. The smell of blood was mixed into the scent of the sea. Slowing his steps, Luke cautiously worked his way around the outcropping and spotted the first body.

It was a man, face down, half in and half out of the water. Luke could just see where the man’s throat had been cut. The sand beneath him was stained dark and Luke had to swallow a surge of bile when he saw the crabs pulling on the soft tissue of the man’s face. He was about to try and get the crabs to back off, even though the man was almost too far in the water for Luke to get close to him, when he spotted the next body. The closer to the water’s edge that he got, the more bodies he was able to see. The stench of decay was stronger here—clearly they had been dead and baking under the sun for more than a few hours—and not one of them appeared to have died of natural causes.

They also all looked liked they had just stepped out of a Pirates of the Caribbean movie. He stopped and looked at the carnage but before Luke could puzzle out what was going on, a voice growled, “Well, boy? You going to stand there all day or are you going to try and finish what they started?”

He knew that voice. The accent was wrong— British instead of New Yorker—but the pitch and the rough confidence lurking beneath that voice was exactly as it had been the last time he’d heard it.

Luke winced. “Oh, fuck,” he said, “I’m screwed.”


	2. Chapter 2

_**"There’s blood on my hands, boy."** _ **-Sir Nicholas Fury**

He had laughed when he realized the boy, Peter Parquagh, had turned away from the path both he and King James had set him on; proving himself stronger than his master or his new king. He had also laughed because even in this, his own death, he had failed.

It seemed the Almighty was not yet done with him.

Sir Nicholas Fury, former spymaster to the late Queen, Elizabeth, gazed out over the results of his labors as he distantly took note of his wounds. Sweat and salt water had worked their way into the sword and knife cuts he had received this day; they burned and needed tending but they were easy enough for him to dismiss from his attention. He had experienced worse wounds than these. He wondered briefly how many more he would receive before God allowed him to rest.

The bodies of the men he had killed were strewn across the beach and Nicholas’s gaze followed the trail back to the ship that was partially hidden behind a sprit of land to the north. With the exception of Peter and King James’s representative, David Banner, all those James had sent to kill him were now dead. Banner had slipped away the day before Nicholas had discovered the cove the royal ship had laid anchor in; possibly to survey the area for resources that could increase the royal coffers and help pay for this endeavor. Eventually, he knew, Banner would need to be dealt with but not now. The three days he had given himself to accomplish this deed were up and it was time for him to return to Roanoke.

Banner was most likely close by since Peter had also been gone when Nicholas had arrived, but Banner was not the danger James’s other agents were.  It was possible that Peter had informed Banner of where he was and would let Banner finish what he had not but Nicholas doubted that would happen. Oh, Peter would return to Banner, in that he had no choice and nowhere else to go, but he would remain quiet. He would not go that far in betraying his former master. And Nicholas would do nothing to Peter if they were to meet again. He owed the boy that much after taking him away from his Uncle and Aunt. He had been speaking the truth when he told the boy he had seen something of himself in him the first time he’d seen Peter; he just hoped that, if the boy did follow his path in some way, he would be able to do what he could not—do what needed to be done without the blood of those who would do wrong, and those that he loved, staining his hands.

All traces of what had transpired here would be gone soon; washed out to sea by the tide. There might be some bits remaining—a bauble picked off one body by a crow caught by a bright flash of color; bones left behind by a predator that had pulled a body further inland to feed on it at its leisure, a knife that had landed in the rocks where the waves could not reach—but nothing more than that. If he were a more religious man, he might have done the proper thing and given the men he had killed a decent burial to protect them from the scavengers drawn to the beach by the smell of blood, but he was not so inclined. Nicholas felt neither malice nor compassion for the men James had sent to kill him; they had followed the orders they had been given, and he had done what he had always done.

Survive.

A movement further up the beach drew his eye. A figure was moving down towards the first man he had killed. It was a youth; closer to boy than man from what he could see at this distance, and strangely dressed. Not much taller than Peter, the youth had dull brown hair and was tanned from hours spent in the sun. He was also thinner though not in the way someone lacking food would appear. His clothing did not seem thick enough for the time of year and the pack strapped to his back was oddly shaped and of a color that seemed unnatural in the afternoon light.

The youth moved closer to the body but became as skittish as a colt when the waves rolled towards him. Nicholas saw the moment when the stranger spotted the next body and began following the path of bodies to the outcropping of rocks he stood on; he stopped and took a deep breath, and only his eyes moved. Nicholas suspected he was counting the bodies as he moved his head slowly from left to right.

He was not a member of the crew that Nicholas had spared. He had seen no reason to kill everyone who had crossed the Atlantic. The captain of the ship had been a loyalist to the late Queen and had been agreeable to the idea that he and his crew should disappear into the woods a few days while Nicholas removed ‘the vermin infesting his ship’. By tomorrow’s tide, the ship would be gone and a much different flag would be flying from her masts.

Neither was he a member of the colony at Roanoke. Nicholas had checked the lists of colonists the Governor, Ananias Dare, had provided; a list that had included those who had been born and who had died in the twelve years since the second colony had been established. Nicholas did not believe this boy was the son of those who had gone missing from the first expedition he had sent to the New World three years earlier to colonize the region for the Queen either, though he appeared to be the right age. No, this boy had come from somewhere else.

When it appeared that the strange youth would remain standing there like a statue for awhile, Nicholas raised his voice and said, “Well, boy? You going to stand there all day or are you going to try and finish what they started?”

Instead of moving away or reacting for a weapon, the youth winced; hunching his shoulders slightly and grimacing before looking up to where he was standing. It was the same reaction Peter had whenever he was aware he had done wrong and knew what followed next would be a correction.

For a moment it looked as if the stranger would speak, then an odd expression crossed his features. He shaded his eyes and his body leaned forward as he studied Nicholas. The hand dropped away and the youth licked his lips.

“Uh, Colonel Fury?” he said, his words oddly pitched, “is… uh… is that you?”

Nicholas narrowed his good eye. The voice was young but there was no real fear that he could hear in the youth’s voice. There was, however, caution.

_You seem to know who I am and yet fear is not your first reaction to me. I am sure we have never met but whether you are friend or foe I can not yet tell. Interesting._

“Colonel is not a name that I am familiar with,” he answered. The stranger slumped and scrubbed his face then looked up.

“Shit,” the stranger stated in a firm voice as he gave the sky a dark look. A small smile twitched the corners of Nicholas’s lips at the outburst. If he was a foe, he was a very odd one.

Deciding he was taking no risks in getting closer to the youth, Nicholas stepped down into the water and waded over to shore. He had stripped to the waist before luring out the last of James’s agents out into the open and the clothes he had removed were hidden some ways inland beyond where the youth stood. “What is your name?” he asked as he stepped out of the water and on to the narrow sandy beach.  He felt one of the cuts on his arm pull then break open as he swung his arm slightly for balance when his boot sank into the dry sand; the blood that leaked out only slightly warmer than his sun dried skin. A quick glance told him the wound was not an immediate concern, though the blood would itch fiercely once it dried, and he continued up the beach.

When he glanced back at the stranger, he found his paralyzes had broken. “Whoa,” the youth exclaimed as he took a step towards him, his eyes on the bleeding cut. “You’re bleeding! Wait; I’ve got… here… wait a minute”

Nicholas paused as the stranger swung off his pack and started searching for something inside. “Okay, I know it’s in here somewhere,” he muttered as he knelt down and moved things within the pack around. This close Nicholas could see that the pack had no ties to keep it closed; instead there were strips of metal teeth that seemed to separate when a tab was pulled. It was not a device he had seen before.

“Don’t tell me I left it back…ah hah!” The youth pulled out a small white box with a red cross emblazoned across the lid and held it up. Nicholas looked at the box then at the youth. When he made no move to take the box, the youth shook the box and said, “It’s a first aid kit.”

“That means as much to me as Colonel does, boy.” There was a flare of emotion and the youth narrowed his brown eyes, clearly irritated at being called a boy. Looking at the hand holding the box, Nicholas saw a scar partially hidden under the thick knitted cuff of the tunic the stranger worn. The scar was green instead of white or red.

He looked back at the youth’s eyes. Narrowing his one good eye, he asked, “What age are you?”

A hooded expression preceded the words, “Eighteen. And my name is Luke Stark, not boy.” Nicholas studied Luke’s eyes then snorted and started to walk away.

“Liar.”

“What?” Nicholas listened to Luke scramble to his feet. “You don’t believe my name is Luke Stark?” he shouted. Nicholas stopped and looked over his shoulder.

“I don’t believe that you are eighteen.” Before Luke could voice any protests, Nicholas explained, “The look in your eyes. Eighteen is not enough time to experience the amount of pain I see in your eyes.”

That answer clearly shook Luke. For a few heartbeats Nicholas knew Luke’s thoughts were far from where he was standing then he blinked and frowned as he focused on him again. Nicholas turned and, making a decision, continued inland. “I suggest you come with me, Luke Stark.”

“And if I don’t?” Luke snapped. It was the response Nicholas had expected. He gave him a grim smile.

“Do you really need an answer to that question, boy?” He chuckled when Luke rolled his eyes, swung the pack up on his shoulder, and followed his footsteps.

“So,” Luke said after they had stepped under the shelter of the trees. Though hunting had not been one of the court activities that had interested him—well, not hunting of prey that ran on four legs at least—Nicholas had still learned all he could of the skills that were used in such a sport. The deer trail they were on weaved south and west and enough deer had travelled down it that their footfalls were muffled instead of crackling from the dry leaves that covered most of the forest floor here.

There was a pause and they walked in silence for a few minutes, then Luke cleared his throat and continued.

“Uh, who exactly are you anyway?”

“You already seem to know that.”

Luke huffed out a breath. “Yeah, well, obviously I was wrong; sue me.” Neither said a word for a few minutes as they worked their way down a steep incline, then Nicholas answered though he suspected Luke did know exactly who he was.

“I am Sir Nicholas Fury.” A sigh slipped out. “I was the master of spies to our late queen, Elizabeth, God rest her soul; but now I am a traitor to the Crown and an oath breaker.” When he became aware of the fact Luke had stopped walking, Nicholas stopped and looked back.

“Since when do you work for…? You’re joking, right?”

Nicholas scowled. “Hardly.”

“But that’s… okay, that’s… wait…” Luke suddenly sat down and slid the pack off his shoulder. Reaching into a pouch sewn into the side, he pulled out a flat, highly polished, black object and started pressing his finger against the surface. There seemed to be no purpose to what he was doing but it was clear Luke had expected something to happen. Leaning forward, he rested his elbows on his thighs, banged the object in his hands against his head in clear frustration then let his arms fall. He stared out into the forest.

“Okay, this is going to sound like a really stupid question but, what the hell year is this?”

“1602.”

“1602. Right. And I’m exactly where in England?”

“You are not in England.” When Luke looked up, Nicholas crossed his arms and explained, “You are in the New World; the area called Virginia to be exact.”

Luke groaned and tangled the fingers of one hand in his hair. A fine grey power drifted down from his hair; it looked like ash. For a time, Luke remained like that, eyes closed and his head resting on his hand. He then opened his eyes.

“You weren’t surprised by that question, about what year it was, were you?” he asked.

Nicholas had to admit, he was not. “No. There have been many strange things happening in the world; and you are hardly the strangest thing I’ve encountered in my lifetime.”

“Yeah, don’t bet on that.” Luke combed his fingers through his hair then stood up. Shoving the object in his hand back where he had found it, he then waved his hand.

“Really should get those cuts cleaned up before they get infected you know.”

Nicholas shrugged. “There is a stream near where I tethered my horse; I will clean up there.”

“Yeah and how far is that?” Luke stood and put his arms through the straps of his pack, shifting slightly to settle it against his back.

“Not far.”

By the time they reached the thicket where he had hidden his clothing and his horse, Nicholas discovered that his estimate of not far, and Luke’s, were not the same.

With the sun near the horizon as they stepped passed the screen of thorny bushes hiding the campsite, the shadows in the thicket deep; making it difficult to see Luke’s face as he dropped to the ground.

“Not far?” he grumbled as he scrubbed his head. “That was not ‘not far’—that was more like several miles!” He blew out a breath as Nicholas checked his horse over and then said in a softer voice, “And I shouldn’t be this tired.” Nicholas could hear a note of worry creeping into his strange companion’s voice. “Why am I this tired?” There was a rustling of fabric; Nicholas could see Luke scratching his arm through his tunic just above the odd green scar.

After making sure the rope tethering his horse was still secure, Nicholas gave it some feed then stepped over to the saddlebags. After pulling out a ball of soap, a long piece of clean cloth and the bundle of bandages that were a standard part of his supplies, Nicholas stripped off the rest of his clothes.

There was an exasperated noise from Luke. “Oh thanks. I did not need to see that.”

“Then avert your eyes,” Nicholas said as he picked up his supplies and his knife. “I’ll be back within the hour. If I find you gone…” He let the unvoiced threat hang in the air. It did not impress his companion.

“Like I’ve got anywhere else to go,” Luke groused as he shucked off his pack. He pulled the black object back out and tapped it. This time, Nicholas saw the surface begin to glow, lighting up Luke’s face. _Reed will want to see that_ , he thought. Shaking his head, Nicholas stepped out of the thicket and headed for the stream.

The stream was only a short distance away but far enough that he would not be able to hear if Luke did leave the thicket. Kneeling down at the water’s edge, Nicholas reached out and dipped his hands into the cold water.

The stream was not large, only a little wider than a yard in width, but it was clean and fast moving. He scooped up the water and splashed it over his face, then dumped a few handfuls over his head before picking up the cloth and the soap to scrub off the blood—both his own and those he had killed—off his face and body.

As he washed, Nicholas turned his thoughts on the puzzle of his new companion. He knew of Sir Howard Starke, a lord from Lancashire in the north, but he had no knowledge of there being another son being born. A bastard? Perhaps, but not one that belonged to Howard Starke. It was possible he was the son of Tony Starke—it was well known that Howard’s heir had been a favorite companion to the unattached women at court in his younger days—but there were no rumors of there being a child resulting from such dalliances and there had certainly been nothing to indicate that the younger Starke had been in any way unfaithful after his union with Lady Virginia Potts.

And there was the matter of Luke Stark’s eyes. If he were judging Luke’s age by his actions and attitude, he would have said he was much younger than eighteen—more like fourteen or fifteen maybe which would make him the right age to be Tony Starke’s—but his eyes said otherwise. Luke’s eyes were not much different from the ones he saw whenever he gazed into a mirror. One traumatic event was not enough to cause such a look. No, that look was cumulative and took decades of exposure to absorb it into one’s being so that the only outward manifestation of all that pain was in the eyes and nowhere else. Luke might appear eighteen, but Nicholas was sure he had lived much longer than that.

After wrapping his wounds, Nicholas returned to the thicket; finding the entrance more by feel than by sight. The glowing device was gone and Luke was only a vague shape against the bushes under the light of the waning moon. The horse whickered softly and stamped a hoof against the ground. Nicholas patted its side as he passed.

Dressing quickly—it had gotten quite a bit colder since the sun had set—Nicholas was just about to buckle his rapier back around his waist when he heard Luke draw in a shaky breath.  He could just see Luke’s breath clouding the air.

“Any chance of a fire?” he asked.

“No.” Yanking the ties that held his rolled up riding cloak tight to the back of his saddle free, Nicholas pulled the cloak out and flicked it open then tossed it at Luke. There was a soft _umph_.

“Might help,” Nicholas said as he walked over to a tree on the opposite side of the thicket from where Luke was sitting.

There was a moment of silence then: “Yeah, it will. Thanks.” The thanks was grudgingly given but sincere nonetheless.

Drawing his knife as he sat down and rested his back against the tree, Nicholas nodded his head. He set the knife on the ground beside him as he said, “I will keep watch.”

“No, I’ll do it. Not like I need any sleep.” The last part Luke said under his breath and Nicholas had the impression of sullen resentment.

He made no acknowledgements to Luke’s words though he did mark them; he simply settled into a more comfortable position and wrapped his cloak tighter around his body.

“So, where are we going tomorrow?” Luke asked.

“The colony of Roanoke.”

“Roanoke? I’ve heard of that; don’t remember where though. Why does it make me think of a horror movie I once saw?”

“I do not care,” Nicholas said; annoyed. He had seen enough horror in his life—he did not need to hear that term applied to the colony at the moment.

“Right.” Luke lay back, using his pack as a pillow. Nicholas could see the glitter of his eyes as he looked up at the stars that were visible through the ghostly clouds racing across the sky.

“How long will it take to get to Roanoke?”

“We should be there before sunset tomorrow.”

Luke pushed himself up on his elbows and looked towards him. “Tomorrow night? I have to spend a whole day with you?” There was a sharp exhale and Luke dropped back down.

“Okay you know what? I’m going to chalk this up as a bad dream. I just banged my head and when I wake up this is all just going to be a dream and everything will be back the way it’s supposed to be.”

“I wish it were,” Nicholas said. He sighed and looked up at the stars and saw the northern lights beginning to flicker; lights that should not be visible this far to the south at this time of the year.

“I wish it were all just a dream, boy.”


	3. Chapter 3

**_"Something that glittered…"_ -Virginia Dare**

“Virginia?”

Virginia Dare turned away from her contemplation of the horizon when she heard her name and turned to look up at her protector.

Rojhaz towered above her— he towered above most men— and though most found that intimidating, she had always found it comforting. He was broad across the shoulders and muscular; dressed only in soft doeskin leggings, the well developed muscles of his chest and abdomen easy to see. His long blond hair was braided and bound with leather and hung almost as far as his waist, and there were several eagle feathers peeking out from behind his head as he looked down at her. He dressed just like the other Indians that the colony had traded with and had helped them survive the first few years after they had landed in the New World and establish their colony. But Rojhaz’s skin was as white as those of the colonists while the skin of the Croatans had been reddish brown in color. It was something that she had never really thought about before but now…

“Virginia?” Rojhaz—no, Steve Rogers, that was what he said his name was as he told his story to Mistress Clea Strange—knelt down so that she didn’t have to tilt her head so far back to look at him. She could see concern in his blue eyes; concern and sadness. The sadness had always been there but it seemed clearer now, more pronounced. Virginia bit her lip.

“I never meant to lie to you, Virginia, believe me” he said. Even his voice had changed in some subtle way. It seemed rusty, as if it had been a long time since he had spoken aloud. He had always before spoken English in the short precise way of the Indians. Today, as he had told Clea his story, he had spoken like her father with a voice that stirred the heart. It was the most she had ever heard him speak at one time. She wondered why he had never spoken to her like that before.

“I’m sorry that I’ve betrayed your trust. I hope you can forgive me.”

“Oh!” she exclaimed, taking a step closer to rest her hand on his arm. “There is nothing to forgive, Rojhaz… Steve…um…” She bit her lower lip; she was unsure how she should address him now.

A smile crossed his lips. It was a rare thing to see and it made her smile tentatively back. “Please;” he said as he rested his hand over hers, “I am Rojhaz now, not Steve Rogers. Steve was the name I was born with. Rojhaz is the name that I earned.”

She nodded her head and then curtsied since it felt like she was just meeting him for the first time. “Rojhaz it is.” She giggled and covered her face with her hands. Rojhaz’s smile grew a little as he settled back, sitting Indian-style on the deck. He then sighed and looked up at the rigging stretching over their heads for a moment before looking back at her.

“I would think you have questions,” he said. “I will answer what I can.”

“I do!” She dropped down on her knees and sat back on her heels in front of him, arranging her skirts so that her legs were covered properly and said, “You said that you were given a physic and got big. Did it hurt? Was it like when I get scared and change?”

Chuckling softly, Rojhaz shook his head. “No, it is not like when you change shapes, Virginia. I only changed once and, though it hurt a little, it did not hurt for long.”

“How old were you?”

“Only a few years older than you are now. I was too small to do much good. The… physic gave me the strength I needed to help save those who were not strong enough to fight back against those who would hurt them.”

“Like you helped us? Father said once that you helped the colony fight back Death that first year.”

“In a way, yes, though that was a somewhat different battle than the ones I used to fight.”

“You were a soldier.”

“Yes.”

Virginia tilted her head. “Do you miss your home?” she asked softly.

The sadness seemed to disappear from his smile for a moment. “I am home.” He took a deep breath then seemed to look beyond her.

“I do miss my friends at times but…” His voice trailed off and an odd expression crossed his features. He seemed a little afraid though she found it hard to believe that he could be afraid of anything.

“It seems that my friends are still at my side though I do not understand how that can be,” Rojhaz’s gaze slid away from her and a frown slowly appeared on his face.

Before she could ask him what he meant, a voice high in the riggings called out, “Land! To starboard!”

Virginia jumped up and ran to the railing, standing on her tiptoes to see over the edge. She could not yet see what the man up in the tall mast could see but knew she would see it soon.

Home.

“It would appear that your long voyage is almost done, Virginia,” a woman said. Virginia turned and watched Mistress Clea Strange walk up to where she and Rojhaz stood, her thick white hair brushing her cheeks as the wind driving the ship grew in strength. In her arms she held the little barrel that contained the severed head of her husband preserved in brandy. She had bought the barrel the day King James had ordered Doctor Steven Strange beheaded for being a traitor to the Crown. Virginia had never hated anyone until the day the King had made her stand beside his throne to watch the beheading. Only Rojhaz’s hands on her shoulder, and the promise she had given Mistress Clea, had kept her from changing into one of the big, long toothed cats like those that roamed on the mainland near Roanoke and taking out her anger at what had been done to the good Doctor by the orders of the new King of England. She was glad that Mistress Clea had been able to save her husband’s head from the crows though she did not know how she had been able to reach it where it had been set upon a spike high up on the castle walls.

Clapping her hands together, Virginia smiled and said, “Yes! It will be good to see father again. It has been many months since I have seen him and my friends.” Growing serious, she nodded her head.

“I just wish your first visit to the New World could have been under happier circumstances, Mistress Clea.” Virginia tilted her head back and looked up at her bodyguard. “It will still be a little while before we are home though, won’t it?”

Rojhaz crossed his arms and looked out over the ocean. Being taller than her he would have a better view of the horizon and maybe, because of the physic he had taken, could see more than the man in the crow’s nest could see.

“Not much longer,” he said. “One day; no more.”

* * *

 

It was only a little longer than a full day but by the following evening Virginia could see the settlement she had been born in and Rojhaz was helping her into the long ship that would take her to her father.

As they were rowed to shore, Virginia pointed to the other ship that sat at anchor nearby. She could see no flags or banners on its masts. “The Eagle’s Shadow,” she said, reading the name carved into the bow of the ship. “I wonder where that came from.” A terrible thought crossed her mind and she turned to Rojhaz, her eyes wide with a sudden dread.

“Do you think King James sent it?” She said, turning in her seat as she wrung her hands.

A shadow of a frown crossed Rojhaz’s face. “I do not…” Something caught his eye and he turned his head towards the settlement. A look of surprise crossed his face.

Following his gaze, Virginia looked at the buildings then up into the sky. There was something rising up from the center of the settlement; something with wide white wings. At first she thought it might be an eagle or one of the gryphons she had seen once on the mainland; but when she squinted her eyes a little, she realized that there was a man attached to the wings.

“An X-Man,” Rojhaz breathed out.

“An X-Man?” Mistress Clea asked. The barrel with her husband’s head was in her lap and her hands rested lightly on top of it.

Rojhaz blinked at her, but did not say anything more.

“Virginia!”

Virginia looked back down to the shore then jumped up and waved her arms happily over her head. “Father!” she shouted back, then laughed when she felt Rojhaz pulling on the back of her dress to keep her from tumbling into the water in her enthusiasm.

When the long boat finally bumped against the pier, her father—Ananias Dare, Governor of Roanoke—reached down and lifted her up into the air like he used to when she was a child. Once he set her down, he bent over and gave her a hug.

“Ah, it’s been too long, Virginia,” he said then he leaned back slightly to look at her. A smile lit his face and Virginia felt truly safe for the first time since leaving Roanoke almost a year earlier.

“I do believe you have grown a few inches, daughter.”

She giggled and wrapped her arms around his waist to give him a hug.  He bent down, kissed the top of her head, and then took a step back. Though she would have liked a little more time with him, Virginia knew that his duties as Governor took precedent’ and the message that Mistress Clea carried could not wait.

“Governor Dare,” Clea said as Rojhaz helped her step out of the boat and on to the pier. “I am Mistress Clea Strange. I need to speak with you, Reed, Fury, and Javier; as well as any others who are in charge here.”

Her father nodded his head as if expecting her request. “Sir Nicholas and Master Carlos are expecting you in the meeting hall. I can show you the way. Sir Richard is not far; he should be there by the time we reach the hall.”

Clea nodded her head. As she stepped to his side, she said, “I also require a hammer and a chisel.”

“As you wish.”

While her father asked about the casket in her hand and Clea explained, Virginia let her gaze wander around the settlement. No new buildings had been added since her departure and she saw many familiar faces; there were also several faces that she did not recognize. Guessing that they came from the other ship, she thought they might be new colonist. She wasn’t sure though—they were all dressed in blue clothing of a similar cut; almost like uniforms. On one she saw the buckle that held their belt in place; there was an X carved into the golden metal. Glancing up, she saw Rojhaz also glance at the buckle and a puzzled frown crossed his face.

Closer to the meeting hall, Virginia spotted a few of her playmates gathered around one of the newcomers. A gasp of wonder slipped out of her when the man in blue raised his hand and made fire appear as if by magic. He then raised his other hand and shaped the fire into a face. She was tempted to run and join them to see more but she was curious to hear what Mistress Clea had to say. She had some idea but she had yet to hear it all.

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dim light within the hall. The first person she noticed was a boy, not much older that Peter Parquagh sitting by the fire wrapped in a heavy riding cloak she recognized as belonging to Sir Nicholas. His face was partially hidden by the collar of the cloak but she could see brown eyes peering out. Virginia wondered briefly if Peter was still alive since he had also been taken to the Tower at the same time as Doctor Strange. A stab of guilt hit her; they should have tried to free him before they had left England to return home.

The next person she saw was Peter’s master. Sir Nicholas was sitting at the table in front of the fire. He looked as if he had aged a few years since she had seen him last, and very tired. As he greeted Mistress Clea, Virginia moved her attention to the other man in the room.

By Clea’s greeting she knew this man was Master Carlos Javier. She did not know that name and wondered if he was the leader of those who had come on the _Eagle’s Shadow._

When Sir Nicholas asked about Mistress Clea’s husband, Virginia looked back to the table as Clea placed the barrel on the table before Sir Nicholas.

“You know that I come from a country far from here,” Clea said as she took the hammer and chisel from Virginia’s father.

“From the New World?” Sir Nicholas guessed.

“From beyond this world entirely,” she answered, much to Virginia’s confusion, as she placed the chisel against the edge of the band sealing the barrel shut. She tapped the end of the chisel with the hammer and slowly started to pry the band off.

_There are worlds beyond this one?_ Virginia thought as her protector stepped into the hall.

“With the death of my husband,” Clea said without turning her attention away from what she was doing, “there is nothing keeping me in your world but my husband believes that the death of this world will bring the death of all worlds in all the dimensions that exist. So I remain; to help unknot the mess you men have made of things.”

“Your husband is dead?” Sir Nicholas asked.

“Yes, and he needs to speak with Reed.”

“But,” Virginia blurted out. “How can he speak? I saw—“

“His life may have ended,” Clea said as she set the chisel and hammer down, “but his magic is not yet gone. But time is short. Reed—“

“Is here, Mistress Strange.” Virginia gave a little gasp of surprise when a head, attached to what Virginia first thought was a very long snake, entered the hall through the window. She clasped her hands together and bounced on her toes when she realized it was not a snake, but the man’s neck.

_Sir Richard Reed_! she thought; delighted. She had heard the songs of Sir Richard’s ship the _Fantastick_ , and the adventures of her crew. The songs had caught her attention not only because they were wonderful tales, but because it was said that they had crossed through a light and had become more than they were. She sometimes wondered if the light they had encountered, and the one that had changed her and given her the ability to change her shape, were one and the same.

“Rojhaz,” Mistress Clea said. Virginia shifted her gaze away from Sir Richard as the rest of his body flowed through the window, all stretched out like bread dough.  “I believe that Stephen would wish to spare Virginia this.” Clea lifted the loosen band away. “I am sure now that this concerns you more than it does her.”

“Yes,” Rojhaz said as he rested a hand on her shoulder. Virginia slumped slightly—she wanted to stay—but she knew better than to argue. She gave Mistress Clea a curtsy then led the way out of the hall.

Outside, the fire shaper was still working his fire and Virginia took a step towards him. “Virginia?” Rojhaz said.

She glanced up and smiled. “I will be careful and not go beyond the walls.” The words were ones she had often repeated back to him whenever he was forced to leave her side.

Rojhaz smiled but she could sense that he was distracted. “Are you all right?” she asked.

“I am…” He paused and focused on her. “I am fine. Your friends will have much to tell you.”

“And I them.” She gave her protector a quick hug then ran over to the fire shaper. For a few moments, her friends found her more interesting than the man in blue and then they all watched, entranced, as he shaped a dragon in the air. They all sighed as it broke apart then called for more. Just as he raised his hands though, Jackie Harvie—the second oldest of those born in Roanoke—ran up and said excitedly, “The invisible lady! She’s still here—I saw her!”

“You can’t see her,” James scoffed. “She’s invisible.”

Jackie waved his hands. “Yes you can. Come on, I’ll show you. She’s talking to the old man right now; come on, come on!”

The children were torn—the fire shaper they could see; the invisible lady from the Fantastick they might not. Seeing their dilemma, the fire shaper stood up and nodded his head. “Go follow your friend. I do have duties that I need to attend to.” The children yelled thank you and ran after Jackie.

When they reached the opening in the wall that encircled the colony, Virginia and the youngest pair skidded to a halt. Though she wanted to see the invisible lady she had promised Rojhaz she would not leave the safety of the walls. Jackie and Sarah, who was the next oldest girl in the colony, were familiar with the restrictions Virginia had to deal with as the oldest of all the colony’s children, quickly consulted between them then Jackie yelled, “If you touch the wall you’re still in the colony.” Deciding that would work and she would be able to keep her promise to Rojhaz, Virginia looked down at the younger children and said, “We will tell you everything as soon as we get back.” Though they looked disappointed, they both nodded their heads. Running after Jackie and Sarah, Virginia reached her hand out and let it brush against the logs that formed the wall as she followed them.

At a break in the wall where one of the logs had been knocked sideways at the base, leaving a gap big enough for them to look through, they all crouched down to see what they could see. Leaning against the back of one of the buildings nearest the wall was a man. Virginia felt a small thrill when the man swore. Sarah covered her mouth and twittered at that. Jackie lightly slapped her arm; she returned the favor. Virginia shushed them both and leaned closer to the gap.

The man, an old man with white hair and beard and a dirty looking robe, was speaking of a treasure but it did not sound like the type that had gold or jewels. In one hand he held a staff and in the other a cup. Whatever was in the cup kept spilling out as he waved it through the air.

Realizing the man was drunk, Virginia decided that he was simply ranting, but then he said, his words slurring a bit, “You.. are sure I’m not boring you?”, and a woman’s voice assured him that he was not. All three children went still when they heard that disembodied voice.

As the man and the invisible woman spoke, Virginia looked at the spot she believed the woman’s voice was coming from. She realized the air was distorted there, like the way the heat sometimes seemed visible above hot sand, and it was shaped like the silhouette of a person. She whispered excitedly, “I can see her!”

“See, I told you,” Jackie whispered back.

Virginia looked over Sarah’s head at Jackie and pointed her finger. “Who is he?”

Jackie shrugged his shoulders. “A drunken old sot. From the ship—the one the fire shaper and the others came in on.”

“How many are there from the ship?”

“Lots.”

“Virginia,” Sarah said. She was crouched down between her and Jackie and Virginia knew Sarah’s mother was going to be clicking her tongue when she saw all the dirt Sarah was getting all over her shift.

“Virginia, guess what they are looking for. The ship monster-folk. Guess.”

“What?”

“The light out in the marsh,” she whispered as she looked up.

Virginia knew which light they were talking about; it was the one that had given her the power to change. Both Jackie and Sarah had been there when she had touched the glittering light and changed into a white doe though no one now believed that the doe that had appeared after the light had flashed had been her.

“Oh,” she said, leaning against the wall to look at both Jackie and Sarah. “Have they found it?”

“Don’t think so,” Sarah answered. “They’re still looking.”

Virginia blinked. “Why don’t you tell them where it is?”

“Why should we?” Jackie asked back.

Virginia stared at him. “Because it’s important.” She put her hands on her hips. “Honestly,” she said. “You are such… children.”

Jackie scrambled to his feet and waved a finger at her. “Jus’ because you’ve been to London, you think you know everything. Think you’re queen of the world.”

“I do not!” She stomped her foot in frustration. “And it is important too! They’re looking for it to stop the funny lights in the sky from eating up the world.”

“The light can’t eat the world,” Sarah said though there was a note of doubt in her voice.

“Yes it can just like women can be invisible,” Virginia stated. They all looked through the gap where the old man and the woman still talked then back at each other.

“I need to tell my father,” Virginia said, nervous now.

Jackie, looking just as nervous as she felt, nodded his head as he held out his hand to Sarah. “Come on, Sarah.” She took his hand and they all ran back to the meeting hall.


	4. Chapter 4

**_"But it’s worth fighting for…"_ -Rojhaz**

After watching Virginia run over to her friends, Rojhaz reluctantly turned back to the meeting hall. He did not want to go back in there.

The trip to England had been a necessary one and though he had wished Ananias had sent someone other than his daughter Virginia to London to seek help for the growing colony from the Crown, he understood why it had to be Virginia. She was a symbol of hope to the colony of Roanoke; the first to be born in the New World. It was Virginia that had inspired the colony to fight on and prosper in their new land.

It was Virginia who had given Rojhaz hope that the future could be changed.

When he had awaked in this new world fifteen years earlier—shot in the head and banished into the past by the American President-For-Life who was afraid that even the ashes of the outlawed Captain America would be enough to generate a revolution against him— Rojhaz had first thought he had landed in the Savage Lands and not in the past. It wasn’t until he’d started to learn the language of the tribe that had found him that he began to suspect otherwise. The dinosaurs that roamed the continent had made it difficult for Rojhaz to determine exactly where and when he ended up and it wasn’t until he finally encountered the second wave of colonists to Roanoke that he began to understand.

Once his understanding of the Croatan language had improved, he was told about the small colony of men whose skin were as light as his own but who had all died before Steve had arrived. Rojhaz saw no reason to ask more about it. It wasn’t until word of a new settlement at the same spot as the old that Rojhaz’s curiosity got the better of him.

That year had been plagued with an increase in dinosaur attacks, unusual weather shifts, and a series of earthquakes. For the colonists—who had arrived in the late spring—there had not been enough time to establish crops to get them through the harsh winter months. The storms that had raged along the coast had also kept any supplies from reaching the new colony. The colony would be dead by the following spring if they did not receive help and Rojhaz convinced the elders of the tribe to help them.

When he led the welcoming party into Roanoke, bringing with it both food and supplies to help the colony through the winter, he had not known the name of the colony. It wasn’t until Ananias Dare had welcomed them to Roanoke and introduced him to his family, and to Virginia, that Rojhaz realized what opportunity was spreading out before him.

America had yet to be born. What had gone wrong in the future could be changed, could be fixed, here at the beginning of things.

At least that was what he had thought until he had met Doctor Stephen Strange and Nicholas Fury—both dead in his time—in Elizabethan London.

A flash of color above him drew Rojhaz’s thoughts away from the past and he looked up. A shimmering thread floated across the sky. Rojhaz frowned then took a deep breath and reentered the hall.

Inside he found Clea removing the lid from the barrel. He crossed his arms and watched as she reached in with both hands to pull her husband’s head free of the brandy that had preserved it.

“You all know my husband,” Clea said as she drew the head out. “I can assure you that this is not pleasant for either of us. Now… you must ask—“

“What the hell,” someone hissed from behind Fury then Rojhaz heard the speaker start to gag. Fury turned then stood up, revealing a stranger, wrapped in a cloak, who was doubled over with a hand over his mouth. Pushing an ash bucket at the man, Fury waited until he grabbed it before looking back to the table.

Reed raised an eyebrow as he glanced towards the fireplace then at the head Clea held in her hands. Brandy dripped down the slack features and the eyes staring out at them were white and blind. Ananias, governor of Roanoke, was pale but composed as he too looked at the head. The one Clea had referred to as Carlos but Rojhaz’s mind identified as Charles Xavier—the leader of the X-Men back when there had been X-Men— briefly closed his eyes and seemed to be whispering a prayer. Fury just looked tired as he rested an elbow on the mantle and leaned against it.

“Ah,” Reed said as he stretched his head towards Clea. “Hello Strange.” It sounded to Rojhaz as if Reed was verbally feeling his way down a dark corridor. “Good to see you, in… well, obviously rather trying circumstances.”

Rojhaz should have been surprised when Doctor Strange’s voice floated out of the mouth that was hanging open, but he was not. All Rojhaz felt was a sense of dread that had nothing to do with the condition of Stephen’s head.

_**Hello Reed**_ , the severed head of Doctor Stephen Strange said. Though the words whispered past unmoving lips, Rojhaz found he had no trouble hearing Strange from his spot near the door. _**I have died, that others may have their chance at life. Do not ignore my words.**_

“Yeah, this is definitely one really bad dream,” the stranger sitting by the fire said then he wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his knitted sweater and glared up at Fury. Fury scowled back.

For a moment, Rojhaz couldn’t breathe as he stared at the man sitting inexplicably before him. It can’t be…

“Luke?” he whispered, dropping his hands to his sides.

Fury’s head snapped up and pinned him with a sharp narrow eyed look while Luke Stark craned his neck to see over the table.

“Yeah?” he said as he gave Rojhaz a puzzled frown.

_He doesn’t know me_ , Rojhaz realized. He shook his head and drew in a deep breath. “Nothing,” he said. “Not...” He dragged his gaze away from Luke. Looking up, he inadvertently met Fury’s gaze. The scowl on Fury’s face deepened and Rojhaz knew what was going through his head. He’d seen that look on the face of the Nicholas Fury who had once been his friend; he was beginning to put the pieces of the puzzle together, and would act once he saw the image that was revealed.

Rojhaz couldn’t allow that to happen. Not again.

They stared at on another then Fury turned his gaze on Clea and the head. “Get on with it,” he said.

_**Is that a question, Nicholas?** _ Strange asked.

Fury pushed away from the fireplace and leaned over the table. “A question. Very well. Tell us, Doctor. What say you: is the world truly ending?”

_**Something—a person—from the future came here, fifteen years ago,**_ Strange answered.

Fury looked over at Luke, who bristled and snapped, “Hey, I only got here yesterday. I’ve got nothing to do with this.”

_**Ah, but you do, Luke Stark,**_ Strange said. Luke leaned back on his heels, eye narrow, and Rojhaz could see him clenching his hand.

“So what, you’re going to believe a talking head?” Luke asked Fury. A thoughtful look crossed the master spy’s face and Rojhaz felt the sense of dread grow as Fury turned his gaze towards him.

“Yes, I am, but I agree, you were not the one who started this,” he said to Luke before adding, “is he, Rojhaz?”

Rojhaz frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. He pressed his lips together in a thin line.

_**You are correct, Nicholas,**_ Stephen said, _**it was not Luke who started this, but I believe he may be the key to repairing the damage that has been done.**_

_**The event fifteen years ago damaged the nature of time itself; and, because time and space are one, it will soon destroy everything…** _

“Strange,” Reed said as he rose to his feet and stepped closer to Clea, “if I may interrupt you there?” Without waiting for a response, he continued, including all those around him as he spoke.

“Obviously, something is out with time. Just as obvious there is an increasing fragility to existence.

“To a Natural Philosopher, it is obvious that the phenomenon that drew us all here can be reduced to four fundamental problems. As I see it, our problems are, firstly locating the rip in the fabric of space and time. Not that difficult.

“Then, manipulating and opening it, while not permitting it to destroy everything. Deeply problematic, given the resources at our disposal."

Reed glanced over his shoulder at Rojhaz as he said, “Returning whatever came here to the future.” He turned back to Strange. “Extremely difficult.” He tapped his forehead with a long finger.

“And then continuing to exist. Which by every method of calculation I have at my disposal, is, unfortunately, completely impossible.”

There was a moment of silence following that statement then Strange said, **_Reed, you are the magician, not I…_**

“You are too kind, my friend,” Reed responded, dipping his head slightly in acknowledgement of the praise. “I had the advantage of a great deal of time, with no distractions, to think. Having said that, I have a number of specific questions—“

“Excuse me.”

Rojhaz turned at the sound of Virginia’s voice behind him. She stood just inside the entrance and Rojhaz could see Jackie and Sarah peering around the edge of the open door behind her.

“The thing you are looking for,” she said once she had everyone’s attention. “I can show you where it is.”

“What thing do you believe we are looking for, Virginia?” Reed asked.

“The light. The one…” She hesitated. “It floats above the ground but does not move. It is not far from here.”

“Ah,” Reed said with a smile, turning back to the others surrounding the table. “That was less difficult that even I expected.”

“There is no guarantee that the light that she speaks of is the rip that you are seeking, my friend” Carlos pointed out.

“I am sure that it is. All my calculations point to this area as being the center and the source of the strange weather that we have been observing around the world. It would make sense that this light of hers is one and the same.” Reed turned to the Governor of Roanoke.

“Good Ananias,” he said quickly, “I wish borrow some of your horses so that we may reach this light quickly. We also will have need of a cart and I require paper and writing utensils. ”

Ananais put his hat on and inclinded his head at Reed, “I will go and arrange that and anything else you may need.” Before he could move, Fury rested his hand on the man’s shoulder as he looked at Carlos.

“First, it may be wise to call back the searchers, Carlos.” Carlos nodded and closed his eyes. Turning to look at Clea, he asked, “Will the world end before sunrise tomorrow, Doctor?”

_**Events are racing towards a crisis, but there is still time. The world will not end this night.** _

Fury nodded his head then turned back to Ananais. “Have whatever supplies Reed has need of gathered by first light. If you require any assistance gathering it all up, I am sure Carlos’s people will be glad to lend a hand.”

“We should precede to the site now, Nicholas,” Reed protested. Virginia nodded her head.

“It is not far,” she offered quietly.

Fury glanced out the window then back to Reed. “It may not be far, but it will still be dark by the time we reach it. You may have gained the ability to see in the dark, old friend, but I have not.”

Reed stretched his neck slightly to see out the window for himself as Virginia piped in, “It glows; you will be able to see it even if it is dark out.”

“I have no doubt of that, Virginia,” Fury said, “but unless it can light our way there and back, it would be wisest to wait until dawn.”

“Oh,” Virginia looked disappointed and Rojhaz stepped to her side and rested a hand on her shoulder.

“I’ve got a…” Luke started to say then stopped; his face thoughtful.

“A device that lets off a glow of light, yes,” Fury said. Reed seemed to brighten up at that.

“May I see this device?” he asked, his neck stretching over the table to give Luke a curious look.

Luke rubbed his forehead. By the light of the fire it was difficult to make out Luke’s features but Rojhaz was sure he was paler than he should have been. That might have been a result of his reaction to seeing Doctor Strange’s head, but Rojhaz suspected something else was leaching the color from Luke’s face.

Frowning slightly, Luke said, “I vaguely remember reading a story once where someone went into the past and stepped on a butterfly. When he got back, everything had changed just because he stepped on that one butterfly.” He looked at Reed. “Might be better if I didn’t show you.”

“But just being in the past will have changed the future,” Reed said.

_**Unless he has always been here,**_ Strange offered. _**And it was the science of the future that had disrupted the fabric of time and space. Using what you have learned from that science may only hasten the end, Reed.**_

“That is a possibility. I will have to think on this. In the meantime…” He flowed more than walked over to the bench that Clea sat on. “I do believe I do have more questions to ask you, Strange.”

As Reed and Strange began to talk, the others slowly made their way out. Ananais held out his hand to his daughter as he approached the door and asked if she had eaten yet. After admitting that she had not, she took his hand and went out with him, telling him about some of the meals she had eaten while in London.

Once they had stepped outside, Rojhaz heard Ananais call a greeting to someone named Master McCoy; a greeting that was answered by another voice from Rojhaz’s past. Hank McCoy loped into the room, moving quickly on his knuckles and toes. In this time, Hank appeared more human than he had in Rojhaz’s time, but he was still more muscular and stouter than could pass for normal. Hank nodded as he passed Rojhaz then stepped over to Carlos, gently picking the man up and carrying him from the hall.

When they had gone, Rojhaz gazed over at Fury and Luke. There was an argument going on between the two men.

“I don’t need any sleep yet: I keep telling you that,” Luke grumbled.

Fury reached down and grabbed Luke’s arm, pulling him to his feet. “You will not be of any used if you keep avoiding sleep. You look as if you are going to drop. Go.”

Rojhaz held his breath, waiting for Luke to call on his powers to get Fury to back off. Instead, Luke glared up at the taller man, yanked his arm out of Fury’s hand, and snapped, “Look, it’s gonna be three more days until I fall asleep and you better hope whatever’s going to happen happens before then because even an earthquake isn’t going to be able to wake me up during the twelve hours I’m asleep.” He tugged the cloak around him a little tighter and stomped away as he said over his shoulder, “I’ll be back in the room. Just come and get me when it’s time to leave.” Rojhaz quickly shifted to the side to let him pass. Luke gave him another curious look as he passed by.

When Fury approached, Rojhaz asked, “He is Ill?

The spymaster stopped and nodded his head. “He is, but he is not admitting the fact, possibly not even to himself.” Fury crossed his arms over his chest. “All that he has said on the matter was that he was tired but had no idea why.” He tilted his head as he looked at Rojhaz.

“He also has several green scars that look quite old. Care to tell me how he received them?”

Rojhaz frowned and echoed Fury’s stance, crossing his arms as he stared back.

They stood staring at one another for several seconds then Fury asked abruptly, “Why do you fear him?”

“I do not fear him,” Rojhaz protested.

Fury narrowed his good eye. “You moved aside when he approached you. There was no reason for you to do that.”

Rojhaz glared at him. _Damn that mind of yours._

“Fine,” Fury said. “Then answer me this—is he a threat?”

For a moment, Rojhaz’s mind drifted into his past and his gaze wandered to the open door. He pressed his lips together as he slowly breathed in, then out.

“I… do not know.”

He could feel Fury’s gaze on him but he did not turn to meet it. “Fair enough,” Fury said then he walked out of the hall.

Rojhaz remained standing by the door, staring out into the approaching night for a long time after.


	5. Chapter 5

**_"What if I change?"_ -Virginia Dare**

The next morning, Virginia was surprised to find that she had managed to fall asleep. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she stepped outside to where the others were already gathered. The sky to the east was filled with soft yellows and oranges, but the sun had yet to rise above the horizon. Preparations were still being made and she wandered over to where a wagon was being loaded.

One man was creating ice out of thin air and she could feel the cold drifting off the short ramp that he sculpted up to the back of the wagon. Next to the wagon stood a big broad thing that was man-shaped but who seemed to be made out of pieces of orange stone. The stone man nodded a greeting to her and she nodded back as she stopped to watch him pick up a crate and set it gently inside. Sir Richard’s head snaked up over the other side of the wagon.

“Be careful there, Benjamin. My instruments are quite fragile, you know,” he said.

“Aye,” the big orange thing rumbled back good naturedly. “You have mentioned that on more than one occasion to me, Reed. And as I told you all those other times, I will treat em as if they were a new born babe.”

As the creature took a package from the ice maker, Virginia turned to look around at whom else was going. She could see her protector Rojhaz standing to one side, nodding his head in greeting when he noticed her looking his way, and her father talking to the leader of those like the ice man who had arrived on the _Eagle’s Shadow_. Beside them stood Sir Nicholas and sitting on a chair beyond them was Mistress Clea with the barrel, resealed, in her lap.

Closer to Virginia was the stranger who had been sitting by the fire last night. She walked up to him and curtsied. “I apologize if I am disturbing you but we have not met. I am Virginia Dare. Who are you?”

The man—at least she though he might be old enough to be called that though she could not be sure—answered, “I’m Luke Stark.” He shifted over slightly on the bench he was sitting so that she could sit down.

Taking the gesture as an opportunity to ask him some questions, she sat down and said, “Did you come here on the _Eagle’s Shadow_ as well?”

“What, the ship out there? Nope.” He made a face and pointed a thumb at Sir Nicholas. “Got here yesterday with him.”

“You are Sir Nicholas’s new apprentice?”

A slightly horrified expression crossed the young man’s face. “Oh, God no.”

“Virginia?” She looked up, a little surprised to see her protector looming over them. Rojhaz amazed her sometime on how quietly he could move for such a big man. He crossed his arms and looked at Luke before nodding his head towards the cart.

“You, cart. You,” he looked back at Luke then looked at the horses that were saddled and tied to the hitching post.

Luke waved a hand. “No way. I had enough of horses yesterday. I’ll ride with her in the cart.” Rojhaz narrowed his eyes and appeared very unhappy with that arrangement though she could not figure out why.

“No.” Rojhaz’s voice growled. Virginia raised an eyebrow at that tone. He was not unhappy, he was angry.

Rojhaz, without looking away from Luke, pointed at the horses and said firmly, “Horse.”

“No,” Sir Nicholas said as he came up behind Rojhaz. “He’ll be in the cart. She will be with me.” When Rojhaz turned, his hands clenching into fists, Sir Nicholas crossed his arms and looked steadily back.

“She is the one leading us so she goes to the front with me. Unless you will be the one leading us today, Rojhaz? I’m guessing from the tale the children told me last night that you know where this light of Virginia’s is just as well as she does.”

Rojhaz’s hand opened and closed then he clenched his teeth and walked away. Virginia looked at Luke then at Sir Nicholas.

“What the hell did I do to piss Tonto off there?” Luke asked.

Sir Nicholas shook his head. “I do not know. But he does know who you are. I believe he came from the same place as you did.”

“I’ve never met him before in my life. Who is he?”

Sir Nicholas looked at her as he answered, “He goes by the name Rojhaz.”

“Rojhaz? Doesn’t ring a bell.”

Virginia chewed on her bottom lip a moment as she returned Sir Nicholas’s gaze before saying quietly, “He said that his name before he came here was Steve Rogers.”

“What?” Luke breathed the word out as if stunned. He blinked, and then looked at Rojhaz. “Wait,” he pointed at Rojhaz as he looked at her, astonishment clear on his face. “You’re telling me that’s Captain America over there? _The_ Captain America?” Luke dropped his hands into his lap and stared straight ahead, not focusing on anything as he whispered, “Whoa.”

Virginia looked up at Sir Nicholas in question. He shrugged as he turned to watched Luke.

A frown settled on the young man’s face. “Cap’s working undercover for shield right now; I haven’t had a chance to meet him yet. Why would he be so pissed off by…” Luke raised one of his hands and stared at his palm for a moment then looked up at Sir Nicholas.

“The head said something came through fifteen years ago, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then he might not have come from the same year as I did, right?”

“Reed would be the one to ask that question to. But I believe that he came from a year that was later than the year you left. I have the impression that he has known you for some time.”

“The Count,” he murmured as a dark look appeared on his face.

“The Count?” Virginia asked.

Luke rolled his eyes and leaned forward to brace his elbows on his legs so he could scrub his face. “Yeah. Count Luchino Nefaria. My grandfather. Damn. He must have used my body to do something terrible in the future.”

“Your grandfather can possess people?” Virginia tilted her head. “He is a warlock?”

“Not sure about possessing other people but since we’ve got the same genetic makeup, he can possess me if I’m not careful. And I’ve got all his powers so he’ll probably be after me again as soon as I go back.” Luke straightened up and tilted his head to the side.

“Unless I didn’t go back,” he said slowly as if testing out the words he was speaking. “He wouldn’t be able to reach me if I’m in the past. At least, I don’t think he could.”

“You may not have a choice regarding what you will be able to do,” Sir Nicholas said. When Luke looked up at him, he said, “I would ask you a question, the same one that I asked Rojhaz yesterday: are you a threat, Luke?”

Luke blew out a breath. “Right now, no. Something’s blocking my powers. Don’t know what—it’s been like that since I woke up here.”

“And if they were unlocked?”

“As long as my grandfather doesn’t show up, you should be fine.” A pensive look crossed Luke’s face as he asked, “What was Cap’s answer?”

“He said he did not know.”

“Oh.”

Sir Nicholas studied Luke then nodded and gestured towards the cart. “Ride in the cart. I suspect by your complaining you are feeling a little sore this morning.”

Luke grimaced. “Hey, I wasn’t complaining; I was just stating a fact. You want me to do any walking later then I need to ride in the cart and not ride double with you again. Not exactly a soft seat on that thing.” He pushed off the bench and pressed his fingers against the small of his back as he stretched. Turning to her, he nodded then headed for the cart.

Sir Nicholas held out a gloved hand. “It would appear that you are still leading the way, Virginia.”

She nodded, took his hand, and walked with him to the head of the group. Standing beside Sir Nicholas’s horse was Rojhaz. The anger was no longer visible and to her he appeared troubled. She let go of Sir Nicholas’s hand and walked over to him.

Taking a deep breath, she held it for a heartbeat then said quickly before she could stop herself, “Do you want me to stay, Rojhaz?”

He sighed. “Go.” A small smile tugged his lips. “Your light.” Virginia had the feeling he meant something more than just the light in the woods.

Catching her by the waist, he lifted her up without any effort and placed her in front of Sir Nicholas. Once she was settled Sir Nicholas picked up the reins, looked back at those mounting up behind him then down at Rojhaz. “You are not riding?” he asked.

Rojhaz shook his head as he picked up his long spear. “No. On foot. There are many dangers ahead.”

“I’m sure there are."

When the horses pulling the cart were snapped into motion, Sir Nicholas clicked his tongue and got his own horse moving. His horse was a big black stallion with a smooth gait. As they passed through the gateway, Sir Nicholas asked, “Which way?”

She pointed to the left. “That way.”

Here close to the settlement the trees were not as thick as they were a few miles inland and they had no trouble navigating the large group through them. But then the ground began to slope upwards a little and trees started closing in, and it became difficult to get the cart through.

The second time the cart got bogged down Sir Nicholas held up a hand and brought the group to a halt before heading back down to see what had happened. The driver of the cart was trying to turn the wide vehicle so that it would be able to get through a gap in the trees. Luke and the ice man were both trying to help out by standing one on each side to help judge whether there was enough room to maneuver the cart.

Sir Nicholas looked down at her. “You and your friends walked to this clearing of yours?”

She blushed slightly as she nodded. She had not stopped to consider the fact that children were much smaller than horses or carts.

“Do the trees go all the way to where this light of yours is?” Sir Nicholas asked.

She shook her head. “We will pass through two clearings before we reach it.”

His horse stamped a foot and tossed its head as Sir Nicholas raised his voice. “We will go on ahead. We will mark the trail as we go; follow as swiftly as you can.”

“I will need what is in the cart to measure the anomaly properly, Nicholas,” Sir Richard said, stretching his head out to where they were.

“We need to find this rip of yours first, Reed. Once we know where it is, then we will need the cart.” He gave Sir Richard a small smile. “And I am sure that there will be more than enough to occupy you until the cart can reach us.”

Smiling back, Sir Richard agreed and stretched back to normal.

When the smaller group was on the move again, Virginia found herself braiding a bit of the horse’s mane. She stopped then slumped down, looking at the ground passing beneath them, as she said, “I am sorry that I could not help Peter, Sir Nicholas.”

“Peter is fine,” he answered as he guided his horse down a slope, following the faint path she had pointed out to him.

Virginia shook her head. “No, he is not. King James took him captive.” She patted down the mane she had been fiddling with. “He is in the Tower if James has not beheaded him yet.” Her voice grew sharp as she spoke and she clenched her hand.

“He is in the New World, not the Tower.”

Not expecting him to say that, she looked up in surprise and repeated, “He is in the New World?”

“Yes. We encountered one another yesterday.”

“Peter is here?” She smiled, but then the smile faltered. “But why is he not with you then?”

“He has…” Sir Nicholas hesitated slightly. “Other duties.” He looked down at her and smiled slightly. “I am sure you two will run into one another eventually.”

She smiled back and felt a little better.

By the time they reached the clearing the light was in, the sun was beginning to reach the mid way point in the sky. Virginia’s stomach grumbled as Rojhaz set her on the ground, but the big pile of what looked like ash that covered the end of the clearing distracted her from her hunger.

“That was not there before,” she said.

“Yeah, that would be what’s left of Godzilla.” Luke said as he slid off the horse he had shared with Master Carlos.

“Godzilla?” Sir Richard asked absently as he stretched closer to the small hill of ash.

“Yeah. A lizard with big teeth that tried to eat me.”

“You fought a thunder lizard?” Virginia said in surprise. She’d only seen one thunder lizard before and even Rojhaz had been unable to bring it down, only scare it away. A puzzled look crossed her face. “How did you turn it into ash?”

“I didn’t. A friend of mine did to make sure it didn’t get back up.

“Flame,” Rojhaz murmured. Luke gave him a look.

“Yeah. Ran into it when we were in Tokyo.” He waved a hand at the pile. “When I tried to leave before the press got too close, a weird light burst out of what was left and yanked me back here.”

“Ah, then this indentation is where you landed,” Sir Richard said as he looked down on the pile.

“Yes.” He shrugged his shoulders and glanced at Virginia. “I didn’t see any light though.”

Sir Richard shook his head and returned to a more normal shape. “My guess would be that the rip is currently buried under the ash.” He glanced at Sir Nicholas and asked, “Did we bring a shovel from the cart?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Benjamin said as he stepped over to Sir Richard’s side. The orange rock man had run behind the group, being too big for a horse, and paused a moment to catch his breath before waving everyone back. “May wish to give me some room since this will be a little messy.”

Once he was satisfied they were far enough away, he shouted, “Cover your ears!” He rubbed his hands together, held them out, then slapped them together. There was a loud crack that made Virginia’s ears pop. The pile of ash before him jumped away as if he’d blown really hard on it. Glittering in the half crater space his clap had formed was the glowing light Virginia remembered. It was no bigger than the width of a man’s hand and was shaped like a number eight.

“Now there’s something ya don’t see every day,” Benjamin said as he rested his big hands on his waist and bent forward to get a closer look.

“Don’t touch it!” Virginia shouted as he got close.

The rock man turned and she was surprised that he could smile. “Don’t worry,” he said, “I have great respect for glowing balls of light.”

“Facinating,” Sir Richard said as he flowed around Benjamin to look for himself. “A Peredural distortion—something I would have thought impossible from something so small.”

“Peredural, Ricardo?” Master Carlos asked as the beast man, McCoy, carried him over to the light.

“Indeed,” Sir Richard said as his arms stretched back to his horse and pulled out parchment and writing utensils from his pack. “My own arrangement of Natural Philosophy uses the Knights of the Round Table to indicate that all disciplines are equal. Each knight describes a set of natural phenomena.

“One divides them into categories, in order to think with them, but still, there is but one table, which is God’s Creation.

After setting down the parchment and writing utensils, Sir Richard pulled a box that he quickly opened so that he could start measuring. “Peredural,” he said as he wrote down the measurements, “initially I took this as the force that caused an object to fall towards the center of the Earth, but I suspect that it refers to the force that binds the universe together.

“Lamorackian, into which I have classified all studies of animals, reptiles, birds, and such: Borssian, which has to do with particles, atomies and the like, things too small to be seen…

“Galvanic, which is the pure force behind the lightnings, and so on…”

“You mean there weren’t any names for any for those branches already?” Luke said as he stepped a little closer.

Looking away from the light, Sir Richard shook his head. “No, but I assume that in your time there are?”

Luke nodded then made a face. “There are but I’m guessing the head was right; I might just confuse things if I told you what I know them as.”

“Yes, I believe you are right; and as enlightening as such a discussion would be, time is against us coming together on shared terminology that we can both agree on.” Virginia watched, fascinated, as Sir Richard continued to write as he spoke to Luke. There were already several things scribbled on the parchment as well as a drawing of the shape the light came from and one of a hill with a man standing next to it.

Sir Richard suddenly stretched out on one leg, the rest of his body reaching for a small hill across the clearing. Virginia could just hear him shouting, “Ben! We’ll need the rock wall built just here. A yard deep, two yards in height, a dozen yards along.”

Benjamin nodded and began ambling over to where Sir Richard had pointed as he stretched back to the light. “I’ll start laying down the base and have ya check it before we start building up.”

“Good man,” Sir Richard said as he picked up his quill and began writing again.

“For those that can’t be defined,” Master Carlos asked once Sir Richard was settled back in front of the light, “to what are they assigned?”

“I assign all things I cannot otherwise place the quality of Merlinic.”

“So each discipline, like each knight, is a way of reaching the—how you call it? Grail?”

“Exactly. Perfect knowledge.”

“And do you not fear there are things God did not intend man to know?”

“Frankly, no.” Virginia raised her eyebrows at how unconcerned Sir Richard sounded about that. “I just wish Rojhaz and Luke here were able to tell us more about the Sciences and Alchemies of their day.”

McCoy chuckled and said in a warm clear voice, ”Sir Richard, had you been in the Garden of Eden, and forbidden to eat of the Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, by the time the Lord returned I swear you would be advising him on the finest preserv’d fruit recipes!”

As he measured how far off the ground the source of the light floated, Sir Richard responded by saying, “Well, as I once told Fury, God gave us eyes to see, and hands to grasp, and minds to understand his creation.”

He raised his head to the same level as the source and gazed at the light.

“And perhaps,” he said, “with God’s grace—to save it.”


	6. Chapter 6

**_"I’m offering you a second chance."_ -Sir Nicholas Fury**

Nicholas stood a short distance away, watching the odd little group gathered around the light floating in the air at the one end of an otherwise normal looking clearing. A breeze rustled the grass and stirred up some of the ash piled up around the light.

He had received reports from the New World concerning the thunder lizards and other odd creatures that lived on the continent; leather winged birds with wingspans twice the size of a man, fast two legged reptiles that hunted in packs, birds with lizard tails and sharp teeth. He looked at the size of the pile of ash and wondered himself how Luke had been able to bring something that size down.

After a time, the cart carrying Sir Richard’s supplies arrived. As they began to unload the cart and set up a campsite, Nicholas went over to his horse and pulled out a package of bread, dried cheese and some dried fruit. Setting it down on a rock not far from the light, he walked over to the group, nudged Luke with his foot and touched Virginia on the shoulder.

When they looked up at him, he pointed at the rock. “Reed may not need food while he has a puzzle before him, but I would think the two of you may. Care to join me?” Both nodded and headed over to the rock. Straightening, he looked at Rojhaz.

“You are welcomed to what food I have to share, Rojhaz.” The big man looked at Virginia and Luke as the two sat down and started eating. Nicholas had noticed how Rojhaz’s eyes had widened when Luke had mentioned this Godzilla he had fought and then how the man had bowed his head afterwards as if lost in thought.

Rojhaz drew in a deep breath before looking at Nicholas. He nodded his head and walked over to the rock.

Virginia was already talking as Rojhaz sat down beside her. “How were you able to bring down something that big by yourself?” She twisted around to look back at what remained of the creature then looked at Rojhaz. “It looks bigger than the one you fought.”

Rojhaz nodded his head. Luke was watching him out of the corner of his eyes.

Turning back to Luke, Virginia asked, “Are you a warlock too? Like your grandfather?”

Rojhaz shook his head as Luke winced and answered for him. “He is not like his grandfather,” Rojhaz said firmly. Luke looked up. Nicholas saw a mix of hope, relief, and caution pass over his face.

“But if he did not use magic then how could he have defeated a thunder lizard that big?”

“I have no idea how I actually did it,” Luke admitted reluctantly. He looked at his hand. “The power. It’s inside me. It’s called Ionic Energy—it lets me shape the…” He rocked his head a back and forth a moment then blew out a breath.

“Okay, not quite sure how to explain it in a way that’ll make any sense to you. But, basically, I can call up energy and direct it at whatever I want to hit.”

Virginia nodded her head though Nicholas could tell she was not quite following what he was saying.

“It also allows him to fly,” Rojhaz said, his voice almost casual as he took a piece of cheese.

A delighted look appeared on Virginia’s face. “You can change shape like me?” she said, excited.

Rojhaz gave Nicholas a warning look before answering again for Luke, “No, he has no need to change shape to fly.”

“How can one fly without wings?”

Luke shrugged. “I use the Ionic Energy to lift me up.”

“As if you had a strong wind beneath you?” Nicholas asked. He understood somewhat the explanation Luke had given them but wanted to be certain he was following correctly. He had a suspicion Rojhaz was guiding the conversation to give him some understanding of what danger Luke may represent though Rojhaz did not appear as concerned about that now.

“I’m sure there’s a better way of explaining this but yeah, that’ll do.”

“Can you do it now?” Virginia asked. “Call on your powers?”

Luke scowled. “No.” He waved a hand. “Haven’t been able to access my power since I got here. Something locked it—“

A gasp from Virginia cut him off. She pointed to his arm. “You’re hurt!”

Luke leaned back, tucking his arm under the other. “It’s nothing,” he said. Nicholas narrowed his good eye and reached across. Snagging the sleeve of Luke’s tunic he pulled, exposing the arm Luke was attempting to hide from wrist to halfway up his forearm. The green scar did not seem any larger—or at least it did not extend any further than what he had seen previously—but it was more pronounced now against Luke’s tanned skin. The scar was not from a bladed weapon and Nicholas quickly dismissed the scar as being from a whip, though the wound did twist around his forearm as if whatever had injured him had wrapped itself around it. Beside him, Nicholas saw Rojhaz straighten then settled back, a distant thoughtful expression on his face.

Virginia leaned forward as Luke grunted and tried to get Nicholas to let go. “These are not new,” Nicholas said. “Yet they seem infected. Why have they not killed you yet?”

Luke gave him a bitter laugh in answer then said, “I’ve had these most of my life. My powers kept the poison at bay. But now I have no powers. The poison is taking over now since there’s nothing to stop it. It’ll kill me soon enough.”

Luke gathered up enough strength to break free then scrambled to his feet.  He looked at Rojhaz then bent his head towards Nicholas, “And you know what? That’s the best thing that could happen right now.” He grabbed the riding cloak and walked away.

“We have to help him,” Virginia said as she gave her protector a pleading look.

Shaking his head, Rojhaz answered, not unkindly, “No cure.”

“But—“

“Virginia,” Nicholas said. She looked in his direction as he wrapped some of the food in a cloth, biting her bottom lip. He held out the filled cloth. “Take this to Mistress Clea while I talk with your protector.”

She hesitated for a moment and drew herself up as if to argue, then glanced over to where Clea sat alone on a crate with the barrel at her feet. Virginia’s shoulders slumped as she took the food. “Yes, Sir Nicholas.”

Once she was gone, Nicholas asked, “Tell me about the scars, Rojhaz.”

“Tell me first when you noticed the one on his arm.”

“Not quite two days ago.”

Rojhaz sighed. “I have only seen the scars reach that far down his arms once. He got those during the time his grandfather was attempting to gain control of his body. And he is lying about not having any power or else he would have succumbed to the poison that entered his blood through those wounds by now.”

Thinking about how Rojhaz had phrased his answer, Nicholas asked, “Succumbed? Not died?”

“No, not died. The only thing that can kill Luke is…” Rojhaz’s mouth snapped close and his lips became a thin line. Muscles jumped in Rojhaz’s jaw and his nostrils flared as his hands clenched into fists in his lap.

Nicholas knew that look—it was the look of a soldier plagued by the memory of some horrific task they had done on the battlefield. “You killed him,” Nicholas said, taking a stab in the dark.

If Nicholas had been a much younger man he may have feared for his life when Rojhaz turned to face him, an almost murderous look lurking in his eyes. “No,” Rojhaz snarled, “You did.”

“That would be a difficult thing for me to accomplish,” Nicholas pointed out calmly. It had been many years since he had been young. “Considering this event happened many centuries in the future. I may have lived longer that I have any right to live, but even I have trouble believing I will live that long.”

Rojhaz blinked then shook his head. As he rubbed his forehead, Rojhaz said, “It might as well have been you. You and the Nicholas Fury I remember are more alike than different.”

“This other me. He did what you could not.”

“Yes. Damn him.”

“Tell me what happened.”

There was a moment when Nicholas expected him not to answer then: “It happened a few years before I found myself here. My team was fighting an old enemy. We had been lured to the country our enemy was king of. It was a trap and Luke’s father was killed during the battle that ensued after the trap was sprung.”

“And Luke lost control.”

Rojhaz shook his head. “No. Lost control assumes that he was not aware of what he was doing. No, Luke did not lose control.

“When he realized his father was dead, he killed our enemy and destroyed many of the citizens this king had ruled over. As punishment, he said, for what they had allowed to happen. He did not touch the buildings or animals, only the people—many of whom died never even knowing why.

“After his father’s funeral, he began systematically hunting down those like the man that had killed his father.  He was judge, jury, and executioner; if he believed them to be guilty, they died. He had no concern for those caught in the crossfire either, believing them just as guilty for he was convinced that it was their complacency that allowed such evil that had cost his father his life to exist. ‘Besides,’ he said once, ‘who among us is innocent’." Rojhaz stared at his open hands. “So many dead.” He closed his eyes.

“It took us awhile to act. Luke was Tony’s son and heir…” Nicholas gave Rojhaz a surprised look at that but the man hardly noticed. “We hoped he would stop on his own but he never did.”

“You should have acted after the first incident,” Nicholas pointed out. The look Rojhaz directed his way told him that the other Nicholas Fury had said the same thing.

“Yes, we should have. Once the decision was made, we lured him out into the desert where there would be minimal damage or risk of an innocent bystander being injured. No, not we; I lured him out. It took a god to knock him into the salt lake. Luke is almost immortal, but salt water can dissolve his skin, making him vulnerable enough to stop. At least, that’s what we hoped.

“The salt water did its job—Luke’s scars had opened and split his skin apart and the poison in his blood seemed to be eating him from within. I had hoped that slowing him down would give me enough time to convince him to stop. Nick didn’t give us a chance; he surprised all of us. He used a device that allowed him to travel from where he was to right in front of Luke.” Rojhaz was breathing hard but his voice was flat as he recounted what had happened.

“Before Luke could react or any of us could stop him, Nick grabbed Luke’s arm and was able to put his hand through Luke’s body—reaching under the ribs to pull his heart out. Even that wasn’t enough. He still had enough power and strength to get Nick in a choke hold and they both fell into the water…”

Rojhaz paused and swallowed. “It took two shots to sever Luke’s head.” There was a shake of the head.

“We had all sustained injuries but only Nick came in direct contact with Luke’s tainted blood. The poison entered his bloodstream and he was dead before we could get him to dry land.” Rojhaz sighed.

“None of it should have happened.”

“No, it should not have,” Nicholas said as he rose to his feet. Rojhaz seemed surprised by his response and looked up.

“Who trained him?” Nicholas asked.

“No one. He has powers none of us—“

“I did not ask who taught him how to use his powers; I asked who trained him.” Rojhaz’s silence and the questioning look the man gave him was answer enough. Walking away without a word, Nicholas was surprised when Rojhaz did not call him back.

As he made his way over to where Clea sat, Nicholas noticed that Virginia was assisting Reed over by the odd light; answering question while holding the ink pot Reed was dipping his quill into. He could see a splotch of black that showed the pot had tipped once already.

Stopping in front of Clea, Nicholas saw that she had eaten little of the food Virginia had brought her. Bowing slightly, Nicholas said, “My apologizes but I have questions for your husband—if he is still able to answer them.”

“He is still able,” Clea said as she worked off the band securing the barrel’s lid, “though it is becoming difficult. He will not be held to this plain of existence for much longer.”

“If Reed is unable to find a way to send Rojhaz back, none of us will exist at all.” She nodded her head as she opened the barrel and picked up her husband’s head.

Nicholas had to breathe in through his mouth—the smell of decay stronger now than the brandy—as Clea settled on the crate. Holding the head over her lap, Clea straightened her back then rolled her eyes up so that only the whites showed. “Ask your questions, Fury” she said.

Crouching down in front of the two, Nicholas asked, “Luke Stark. What role does he have to play in this? You said he may be the key to fixing the damage that has been done. What did you mean by that?”

_**You already know the answer,**_ Strange said. _**Once Reed is able to supply the necessary energies, it will be Luke’s power that will be needed to hold the rip open so that Rojhaz may pass through. When Luke enters the rip, it will close behind him and heal the damage done.**_

“He says that his powers are gone.”

_**They are not gone. They have been locked away.** _

“By who?”

_**By Luke himself. No one else has the power to lock them away as has been done.**_ There was a pause, then Strange said, _**You know what you must do, Nicholas.**_

Nicholas nodded his head as he stood, “What I have always done.” He left Clea and what remained of her husband by the cart and went in search of Luke Stark.

Strange was right, he did know what to do; but the how eluded him. It was clear, at least to him, that Luke feared the powers within him. The trick was going to find out why he feared them so. Was he afraid of what he would do with those powers?

Pausing a moment on a slight rise at the south end of the clearing, Nicholas looked around him. To his left, there was a small group consisting of Reed, Carlos, his student McCoy, and Ananias clustered around the light hanging in the air. Virginia was walking back to where Clea sat. A few men had cleared a spot of ground for a fire pit a little to the west of the light and beyond the light Nicholas could see the base of the wall Reed had asked for had already been started. Of Rojhaz there was no sign.

Turning to look in the opposite direction, Nicholas spotted Luke huddled under a large tree at the edge of the clearing. He would have missed him except for the brightly colored pack he carried, an edge of which was just visible around the base of the tree.

Walking over to the tree, he paused to look down at Luke. “Come with me,” he said. He didn’t bother to look behind him. Luke had said it himself—it wasn’t as if he had anywhere else to go.


	7. Chapter 7

**_"I’ll take dealing with the Avengers over S.H.I.E.L.D any day."_ -Luke Stark**

He expected Fury to grill him about the scars, or about why his powers were gone— good riddance in his opinion—or about why he was sitting here sulking. Instead, all the man did was bark an order and made it clear he expected Luke to jump up and do exactly as he said. The annoying thing was, he did exactly that.

 _Bastard_ , Luke thought as he trailed along behind the tall man.

After a few minutes of tromping through the woods, Luke decided the silence was getting a little boring. “So, what are we doing out here? Planning on slitting my throat and dumping the body where no one can see it?”

“Possibly.”

The answer was delivered in the same casual tone a cashier might say, “That’ll be thirty four dollars please”. Luke’s steps slowed and Fury glanced over his shoulder though he didn’t stop walking as he said, “You’re of no use to us if you cannot use your powers.” He looked ahead. “Might as well just kill you to keep you from…” Fury stopped and cocked his head to the side then turned slightly.

“How did you put it-- to keep you from stepping on a butterfly?” There was a shrug of a shoulder. “I am confident that killing you will not be necessary though.”

Luke closed his mouth when he realized he was gaping at the man.

Crossing his arms, Fury stared back at him. “You are of no help to us as you are. Either you start using your powers, or you die.”

“Oh, what, you’ve got some magic key or something? Hate to break it to you but that well is dry and boarded up.”

“Then why are you still alive?”

Luke frowned. “What?”

“I spoke with Rojhaz after you left.” He pointed and Luke put his arm behind his back. “He said that the poison from those wounds should have put you down by now. If you have no power left to you then tell me, why are you still alive?”

Luke rolled his eyes. “We’re in a Virginia that apparently has dinosaurs. I don’t think I’m in the past, I’m thinking I’m in a completely different universe. The rules have changed.”

“It is still your body—that has not changed.”

“Look, I don’t know why the poison isn’t killing me and I don’t care!”

“You do not care whether you live or die?”

“No! And right now dying sounds pretty good to me if living means I’m going to do something that gets Captain America to look at me like he was earlier!”

Fury gazed at him a moment, then started walking again. “Too bad.”

It took a minute for Luke to move. Hands clenched at his side, he stared at the path Fury had taken and considered turning around and going back. A quick glance behind though showed him that Fury had led him deep enough into the woods to make him sufficiently lost. Swearing, he headed down the path.

When he caught up to the man, Luke grumbled at Fury’s broad back, “Fine; I get that you want to save your world—“

“I do not care whether the world is saved or not.” An odd little smile curled the corners of Fury’s lips as he glanced back at Luke. “But it seems that I have no choice but to do just that; to save the world whether I wish to or not.” He chuckled softly. There was a weary amusement within that sound and something else. Acceptance maybe?

“Well I’m glad one of us is finding this amusing,” Luke said, a little unsettled by that chuckle.

When Luke was whacked yet again by a branch that had bent against Fury’s shoulder then snapped back to hit him in the face once the man had passed it, Luke said, “Mind telling me where we’re going?”

“Here,” Fury said, much to his surprise.

As he stepped out from under the edge of the forest they’d been walking through, the light blinded him for a moment and his nose twitched as his foot sank a little into the ground. Taking a hasty step back, he blinked then shaded his eyes.

Before him he could see the edge of a salt water marsh; the plants tall enough that he could not see to the other side. He took another step back.

“I think I’ll just stay over here for now,” he said, his fingers twitching as he thought about what would happen if any of that water got on his scars.

Fury unhooked the cloak he’d been wearing and he tossed it aside with one hand while the other grabbed the front of Luke’s sweater. “No,” he said as he hauled Luke towards him then shoved him towards the marsh. “I need you over there.”

Luke dropped the heavy cloak that had been wrapped around him as Fury swung him around then he was spinning his arms like a pinwheel to keep from falling backwards into the mud. There was a squelching sound as he lifted a foot and tried to stabilize his stance.

When he regained his balance and was doubled over trying to catch his breath, his heart beating hard from the adrenaline surge, Fury said, “For someone who just claimed that they did not care whether they lived or died, you do not seem that eager to die, Luke Stark.”

Luke’s eyes widened as his gaze darted to the water. _Rojhaz_ , he realized, _Rojhaz told you about the salt._

Glaring up at Fury, Luke growled, “Fuck you.”

Fury chuckled that odd little chuckle again then without warning swung a fist right at Luke’s head. Luke managed to twist and duck his head and the fist hit him high on his left shoulder instead of his face. Luke gasped as the arm went numb. He grabbed the injured shoulder and staggered sideways. Sensing Fury moving closer, Luke pushed off and doubled over to head butt Fury in the stomach. It didn’t quite have the effect he wanted. It only knocked Fury back a step and the man brought a fist down on Luke’s back.

The impact of the fist against his back was hard enough to wind him. Luke collapsed down to one knee, coughing as he tried to drag in a breath. When he felt the cold water seeping into his jeans Luke surged to his feet and made a blind dash for the trees. Two big hands caught him by the shoulders and lifted him off the ground before tossing him back at the marsh.

Luke landed feet first but to keep from falling forward from his momentum, Luke had no choice but to stagger towards to water. Terror choked him as one foot got tangled in something. He threw out a hand to catch his fall but he saw sunlight flashing where his hand was about to land.

_Water!_

Somehow, Luke stopped, crouched over, his hand frozen no more than six inches above the glimmering water. His pulse pounding in his head, muscles straining, Luke shifted his weight to pull the hand back, but that caused one of his shoes to sink deeper into the mud. He went still again, his mind racing for a solution.

There was a rasp of steel behind him.

Panic surged through him and time seemed to stop as his mind slammed against the locked door his power was hidden behind. The door cracked and Luke threw out his other hand as he instinctively reached through that broken door to grab a ball of energy, sending it through his arm and out at his opponent. There was an _umph_ then a thump. Luke blinked, still in a half crouch, as he looked at his outstretched hand.

There was a faint blue glow surrounding his hand. It was hard to see in the bright midday sun but when he wiggled his fingers the energy sparkled and Luke could hear it crackle like an arc of electricity might.

“Better,” Fury rasped.

Looking past his hand, Luke saw Fury slowly pushing himself to his feet. A few yards past him, stabbed into the dirt, the rapier Fury had drawn. It still quivered from the impact.

Luke slowly stood up, careful about not putting too much weight on the foot closest to the water, and watched Fury pulled his sword free and slide it back into its scabbard. “So,” Fury said with a nod in Luke’s direction. There was a thin cut across one cheekbone that was slowly beginning to bleed. “Is that all the power you have?”

“You planned this!” Luke shouted, trembling slightly as the adrenaline running through his system started to drop.

“As I said, you were of no worth to us as you were.” He took a step towards Luke. Luke leaned away from him but did not risk moving any more than that. This time Luke was sure the man was amused as he held out a hand in Luke’s direction though he did not smile.

“I’ve done what I needed to, boy, and I would prefer not to be tossed about like that again.”

Luke started at the hand for a few moments, muttered weakly, ‘I’m not a boy,’ then grabbed it and let Fury pull him to firmer ground.

Luke was silent as he quickly walked past Fury and into the shadow of the trees. When he came across the trunk of a tree that had fallen he sat down, kicked off his mud caked shoes then carefully pulled off his wet jeans. He could already feel the scars reacting to the contact with the salty water.

Once the jeans were off, Luke pressed his fingers around his left thigh. The section of green scars crisscrossing his skin closest to his knee bubbled and cracked open, and a hissing yellow puss was beginning to seep from the opening wounds. Luke moaned and curled over his leg.

Fury stopped in front of him. “Can your powers deal with that?”

Luke laughed. There was a slightly hysterical edge to it. “Oh yeah, it’ll deal with it. It’s gonna take forever but…” Tears stung the edges of Luke’s eyes and he choked down a whine as a ragged stab of pain shot up his spine.

There was an hmmm from Fury then Luke was scooped up into the air. The shock of Fury picking him up like that blocked out what the scars were doing to him for a few seconds then Luke had to close his eyes against the pain. Not caring how weak it made him feel, he pressed his head against Fury’s shoulder and gritted his teeth against the pain.

Luke had no idea how much time had passed before he felt himself falling. He had been so consumed by the pain working up his leg that he had lost track of what was going on around him and the sudden sensation of dropping towards the ground was a bit of a surprise. Luke grabbed at the collar of Fury’s cloak and almost screamed when he felt the lower half of his body hitting water. The water was ice cold and Luke braced himself for more pain, but the only pain he felt now was from the cold, not the scars. Looking down through the water Luke could see that they were already starting to close back up.

Letting his head fall back, his arm twisted awkwardly as he continued to hold on to the collar of the cloak, Luke glared at Fury. Fury looked calmly back.

“You avoided the waves when I first saw you,” he said, “but you only looked annoyed when we were caught in that shower on the return to Roanoke. I guessed it would not hurt you more to wash out the wounds in fresh water.”

“I hate you,” Luke managed to grumble. His teeth were beginning to chatter.

“You are hardly the first person to say that to me,” Fury said as he brought a hand up to grab Luke’s wrist. Scowling, Luke slowly pried his fingers from Fury’s cloak and let go.

He stayed in the water for only a minute or two longer then the cold forced him to get up. Looking down as he climbed out of the stream, he found that the scars had closed. Pulling up the sleeve of his sweater, there was no sign of the scar on his forearm. Taking the riding cloak from Fury, Luke wrapped it tight around his body then dropped to the ground.

It took awhile before Luke was feeling…well, not warm but at least less like a popsicle than when he first got out of the water. A grimace crossed his face; his underwear was still wet and clammy.

Blowing out a breath, he looked over at Fury. The man was leaning against a tree, arms crossed over his chest. When he raised an eyebrow in question, Luke said, “You do know you’ve just cursed the future, right?”

Instead of acknowledging that, Fury asked, “Do you believe yourself to be a good man, or a bad one, Luke Stark?”

Luke slumped a bit. Truthfully he felt he probably fell into the latter category—at least as long as his grandfather existed in the world. Considering the Count was immortal, then bad was what he would have to choose.

He stared at the ground. “I’m sure as hell not a hero.”

“There are no such things as heroes.”

“Well, you’ve obviously never met one then,” Luke scoffed.

“I have known many who have been called heroes, many of whom I consider friends, but they are simply men and women who have decided that the well being of their fellow man is more important than their own, nothing more. Whether they are called heroes or not depends on others, not themselves.

“You seem to have your own strong opinion of what a hero is. Who do you consider a hero?”

“My dad,” Luke said without hesitation. Realizing this Fury would have no idea who that was, he explained, “Dale Johnson. He raised me.”

“What made him a hero?”

Luke pulled on some grass.

“Luke?”

Luke sniffed and rubbed his eyes. He started to cry.

A breeze stirred the treetops, making the leaves twist and whisper.

“Those that are referred to as evil,” Fury said as he tilted his head back to watch the tree tops sway, “are those who abuse the power they have been given. What they do, they do for themselves, whether it be to feel safe or to heal a wrong they feel has been done against them. Power itself, though, is nether good or evil; it simply is.

“What they do with the power they are given decides what it is that people, and history, will call them.”

Fury fell silent. Luke wept for what felt like a long time. Even after all these decades the pain of Dale’s loss still had the power to surprise Luke.

When he finally wiped his eyes dry, Fury pushed away from the tree he was leaning against. “We should get back to the clearing,” he said. “It will be dark soon.”

Luke nodded and started to get up. It felt as if his underwear had dried to his skin. He shook his head and gave Fury a slightly embarrassed look.

“Mind giving me a minute to get dressed?” Fury looked mildly irritated but walked a few yards away and stopped, keeping his back to Luke.

Luke quickly took off his backpack and pulled out a clean pair. After swapping the two, he pulled out the hakama at the bottom of the backpack and put it on. They didn’t go at all with the sweater he was wearing but he figured decency trumped fashion in this case.

When he walked over to where Fury was standing, Fury looked him over then started walking.

Back in the clearing, they found the cart and those who had arrived with it were gone. Of those that remained, most were gathered around the anomaly. When they got closer, Luke heard Reed say, “Creating the energy needed to open the rip is quite simple. The difficulty is in holding the rip open long enough to do whatever it is that we do.”

“We may have a solution to that problem, Reed,” Fury said as they stepped up to the group. Luke saw Rojhaz look over at them, curious, then his features darkened into a frown. Fury rested a hand against Luke’s shoulder and guided him to the left, putting himself between Luke and Rojhaz as the former Captain America took a step towards them.

His eyes on Fury, Rojhaz growled, “What have you done?”

“What I’ve always done,” Fury answered sharply.

Rojhaz’s head jerked back as if he’d been slapped then he cocked his arm and threw a punch.

Luke was startled by how fast Rojhaz had moved but Fury was not; he blocked the punch with his arm. Rojhaz twisted and grabbed the arm that had blocked him. Both men tried to find their balance. Rojhaz was only slightly quicker and he was able to swing a low punch at Fury’s abdomen before he could protect himself. The blow doubled Fury over but he didn’t fall.

“Rojhaz!”

Virginia stepped out of the crowd and looked at her protector, one hand covering her mouth. Rojhaz blinked at her then staggered away from Fury.

“What—“Virginia started to say but Fury interrupted her.

“It’s all right,” he said as he slowly straightened. “I had that coming.” He looked at Rojhaz.

For a few seconds Rojhaz met Fury’s gaze, then a look of confusion settled on his features as he dropped his gaze and slowly walked away.

When Virginia made a move to follow him, Fury caught her shoulder. “Leave him be,” Fury said. “He needs time to think.” Virginia bit her bottom lip and watched Rojhaz slip into the tree before turning back to the crowd.

Taking a deep breath, Fury looked at Luke and gestured at the anomaly. Luke took a step forward and looked at Reed.

“What exactly do you need?”

Reed stretched and moved his head to the opposite side of the anomaly from Luke. “What we need,” he said as he gestured at the infinity shape floating within the spot of light it seemed to exist in. This close, Luke could see that the light was shifting through all the colors of the rainbow. “What we need is to craft a device that will affect—or grasp—the temporal rip. A key, as it were, to stabilize the rip before the Galvanic energies forced it open.”

Luke studied the Mobius shape a moment, then he slowly held up his hands. Reaching out to the energy he sensed flowing from it, he called on his power and pretended that he could grip it’s edged. He pulled— it felt like stretching a rubber band— and widened the size of the loops. It was more difficult than he expected and it didn’t take long for him to reach the limit the anomaly was willing to go.

Dropping his arms, Luke wiggled his fingers—they were cold—and looked up at Reed.

“You mean something like that, right?” Luke asked.

“Exactly like that,” Reed answered with a smile.


	8. Chapter 8

**_"I am in my appointed place."_ -Peter Parquagh**

Peter Parquagh expected an outburst of anger from his Majesty’s representative when they reached the cove the ship should have been in but the only reaction Sir David Banner showed was a downward twist of his lips and a narrowing of his eyes. “It appears that Fury has been busy,” Sir Banner said as he stared at the sparkling water of the empty cove for a few moments, then he turned without a word back towards the woods.

As he trailed behind Sir Banner, Peter thanked the Almighty he had not been asked what had happened between the time he had been sent back to the ship to let the captain know they would be moving on to the colony and his return. He was not sure how the man would react to finding out he had let Sir Nicholas go.

_My aunt and uncle,_ Peter thought, not for the first time since leaving Sir Nicholas sitting on the rock facing the sea, _what will happen to them if the King finds out what I’ve done?_ He kept his gaze on the ground as they followed the trail back to the others.

A shudder ran through Peter as he remembered his last meeting with the King. _I want Fury_ , his Majesty the King of England had said in that dark cell within the Tower of London. _I want to see him hung, drawn, and quartered. I want him to confess his sins and his crimes, and hear his entrails crackle in the bonfire while he still lives to scream his guilt, before the executioner pulls out his heart and ends his traitorous life_.

_And if I can’t have that… I want to know that he’s dead._

Peter had stared at the King in astonishment, not understanding how anyone could hate another person that much, then a feeling of hopelessness washed over him as he began to understand what role he was to play in this. There was no other choice he could make but to do as the King demanded, to use the trust Sir Nicholas had in him to bring him down; not when the King had made it clear he would break Peter’s aunt and uncle’s heart. Peter suspected that he would be forced to stand next to King James, just as he had been forced to do when Doctor Strange had been beheaded, and watch as his Majesty broke his aunt and uncle’s hearts.

_I should have…_ The thought remained unfinished. He could not lie to himself. Killing Sir Nicholas was not something he could do even if letting his master live condemned what remained of his family. Though Sir Nicholas had been a hard taskmaster, he had been a fair one and had shown Peter wonders in the short time he had been in his service that he may never have seen in his lifetime if he had remained with his aunt and uncle. Sir Nicholas had treated him fairly; Peter found that he could do no less in return.

He thought back to what had happened on the beach; he had seen the flash of the knife Sir Nicholas had been holding. The man already knew he was there but at that moment would have seen him on the reflective surface—sword drawn and almost ready to strike. It was a trick he had shown Peter once; using an unexpected object as a way to see without looking directly at something. Peter’s mind had wandered a little during that lesson as he tried to figure out how to make a device that could do something similar but Sir Nicholas had been patient and the lesson had stuck.

When he had seen the knife flash Peter paused, braced for the man to turn and kill him; he had seen the man fight enough to know he had no chance of winning. Instead of turning, Sir Nicholas had dropped his knife back into its sheath and bowed his head. He’d even told Peter to go ahead and slit his throat.

_I’ll not fight,_ he’d said. _I’m done._ It was a promise Peter knew he would keep.

It was the word of an honorable man.

And is King James an honorable man? Peter had wondered then. He had his doubts.

“So,” Sir Banner said. Peter’s head snapped up and he came to a stop when he realized Sir Banner already had. Turning, the King’s representative looked down at Peter. “What is it that your master will do next, young Peter?”

“Sir?” He was tempted to say, _finish you_ , but he wasn’t so sure of that, not after the way Sir Nicholas had sounded on that rock—as if he had reached his end and was simply waiting for death to catch up with his decision.

“Hm.” A contemplative look crossed Sir Banner’s face, a look that sent a feeling of dread through Peter. He had learned during the voyage to the New World that Sir Banner’s mind was even quicker than Sir Nicholas. Peter schooled his features into that of an attentive assistant with nothing to hide—another trick Sir Nicholas had taught him—and waited for Sir Banner to make the next move.

Frowning, the King’s representative stared at him then began walking again. Before Peter could breathe a sigh of relief, the man said, “Fury trained you well, boy, but I suggest you remember why we are here.”

Peter had trouble finding his voice. “Yes sir.” _He knows!_

“It would have been helpful if you had at least tried to find some signs as to when Fury had been at the cove instead of following my orders so close to the letters. Not that it matters really. We know he will return to Roanoke, we will just have to find a way to lure him back out.”

“Uh, I will be sure to remember that, Sir.” Peter said to the man’s back.

Sir Banner looked up at the evening sky. A flash of color rippled through the clouds floating above them and Peter was sure Sir Banner was talking more to himself than to him as he added softly, “If only we had been able to find the source of that light before Fury had become aware of our presence. I am sure the source of these disturbances is around here somewhere. My calculations could not be that far off.” He glanced back. “Well, let us deal with Fury first; once he is out of the way we will have all the time we need to find it.”

_If he doesn’t deal with you first_ , Peter thought as he nodded his head and said dutifully, “Yes sir.”


	9. Chapter 9

**_"Why are you here, then?"_ -Luke Stark**

“How will you power the anomaly?” Luke asked Reed from his spot behind Javier. Though Reed had protested Fury’s orders to return to the colony, the sight of what looked like a pterodactyl circling through the sky to the west had been enough for Reed to see the wisdom of that order.

Reed glanced up from his notes. How he was managing to write while riding was beyond Luke. “I believe that Thor will be able to supply us with the energy that we will need to open the rip beyond this world,” Reed answered before looking back down at what he had written.

Luke blinked at him. “Thor?” he said slowly. “Like, god of thunder Thor?”

“You know of him?” Javier asked as he looked back at Luke.

“Uh, yeah sort of. He’s one of the Avengers.”

“Avengers?”

Luke shrugged. “They’re a group of heroes in my time.”

“And Rojhaz,” Fury asked, his good eye narrowing thoughtfully as he spoke, “was he the leader of these Avengers?”

“Sometimes.”

Fury nodded his head then seemed to turn inward as he processed that information. _What the hell did Rojhaz tell you?_ Luke thought. Suddenly aware that he had his arms wrapped around a telepath to keep from falling off the horse, he grimaced and said, “Sorry.”

Javier smiled as he glanced back. “I am not reading your thoughts, Luke. If I am not mistaken, you have some talent in that area yourself. You would be more than aware of my presence if I were to make such an attempt.”

Luke wasn’t so sure about that but he didn’t contradict the man.

“I do not see how your Thor could be the same as the one that Donal is able to summon though,” Javier said.

“I would surmise,” Reed said, “that Thor ages at a different rate than others. If he only ages when the bearer of the staff initiates the change, then it would be quite possible for him to survive into Luke’s time.”

“Hm, I see your point, Reed,” Javier said.

“It will not be easy to convince him to initiate that change again, Reed,” Susan Richard said from where she sat behind her husband. Even knowing she was there did not stop Luke from being surprised when her voice seemed to come out of thin air.

Reed patted her invisible hands where they were wrapped around his waist. “I know; but I see no other choice.” Looking up, Reed shook his head. “I could design something to catch and direct a bolt of lightning towards the anomaly but it would leave us dependent on the whims of the weather and I do not believe we have the time to wait for a storm to come to us. We will need to make one.”

Stretching a bit so he could look back at Susan, he added, “I do understand why he does not wish to change into Thor, but I cannot see another option here, Susan. That being said, I also will not force him to change—it will be his choice to make.”

“I have my doubts that you could force the change even if you wanted to, Reed,” Fury said as he focused again on what was happening around him.

“I believe you are correct, Nick. I suspect that even wrestling the staff away from Donal would do us no good. Perhaps you could help us convince him to switch?”

“That may not be as good an idea as it sounds considering I am the one who brought him into this. Besides, there are things that need to be discussed between Ananias, Dougan, and myself regarding the defense of the colony while there is still time.” Shifting his attention to Javier he asked, “Are you certain that James has sent only one ship?”

Javier nodded his head. “At the moment, yes; there is only the one.”

Reed twisted and stretched. “You were unable to accomplish what you set out to do?”

Fury shrugged. “I was able to accomplish most of it but the King’s representative is still out there. That is not what needs to be discussed however.” He glanced down at Virginia who was seated once again in front of him and appeared to be asleep. “Virginia mentioned that James has turned down Ananias’s request for help. Roanoke is now officially cut off from England and there are things that need to be done to insure the future of the colony.” A slightly exasperated look crossed Fury’s face. “Though I suppose that future depends on whether or not we manage to survive the end of our world in the next few days.”

Javier chuckled softly then said, “You may tell good Ananias that, if we do survive, then he will have the help of myself and my students—if he so wishes it.”

“Aye, and our help as well,” Reed said as he settled back into a more normal shape. “We will not set sail again until sometime in the coming year and the last time we were in the New World, we did not have the time to do more than a preliminary study of the wonders this land holds. I would relish the chance for a more detailed examination of the flora and wildlife around Roanoke. I am sure the anomaly has had some effect on the local surroundings.”

“I will tell him.”

By the time they reached the colony, Luke found he had dozed off. His head snapped up when Javier brought their horse to a stop and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. To his left, Fury handed Virginia down to her father then dismounted. He looked up at Luke and said, “It would probably be best if you went with Javier and Reed while they try and convince Donal to call Thor out.” A shadow of a frown appeared as he added, “Unless you have changed your mind about helping us.”

Luke scowled at him then slid off his horse. “No”, he said once his feet were on the ground, “I haven’t changed my mind.” He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the taller man. “And I still hate you, just so we’re clear on that,” he grumbled. Fury didn’t bother to respond; instead he turned and waved to a soldier with a thick red mustache who was, much to Luke’s surprise, several inches taller than Fury. “Have a few things I want to go over before we meet with Ananias, Dougan” Fury said as he walked past the man.

The man nodded and said, “Yes sir,” as he fell into step with Fury.

Turning back to those who remained, Luke found Reed putting his writing utensils back into their box while Hank McCoy held Javier in his arms. He could not sense Susan anywhere near them.

Getting the impression that both Reed and Javier were amused by something, Luke said, “What?”

A touch of a smile pulled at Reed’s lips as he looked in the direction Fury had gone then back at Luke. “It is good to know that some things have not changed,” he said as he tucked the box under his arm. “Susan will meet us at the meeting hall—if she is able to convince Donal to at least listen to us.”

“He will come,” Javier said; his voice serene and calm.

Reed raised an eyebrow. “I did not know you were a soothsayer as well a mind reader, Carlos.”

“I am not. I simply believe that our Lord will provide.”

Reed nodded his head and led them to the meeting hall.

As they walked, McCoy leaned a bit towards Luke and said, “Having spent some time with the good Sir Nicholas, I can see how one could feel a bit—how shall one put it—bristly when one is around him. How long have you known him, young Luke?”

“This one? Hasn’t even been two days yet.” When Reed stopped and twisted around—literally—to look at him, Luke realized he’d messed up.

Shaking his head, Luke ran his fingers through his hair and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, probably shouldn’t have put it that way, huh?”

“No, it is quite all right,” Reed said. “I had begun to formulate a theory as to why you arrived here when you passed through the anomaly. I have no doubt that the anomaly opens up at various points within space and time but I propose that there was enough of a connection between our world and yours to pull you here instead of elsewhere. It might be that you and Rojhaz do not exist in this world at any point in time but others that you knew or will know do exist here. It is quite a fascinating possibility.”

“If you say so,” Luke said.

When they stepped into the meeting hall, Susan, Clea Strange, and the old man Luke assumed was Donal, were waiting for them. Strange had her husband’s head out of the barrel again. It weirded him out. It was one thing to see a severed head in a horror flick, it was a whole other thing to see one in real life.

As McCoy set Javier down on a stool, Luke saw the old man tighten his grip around the long staff he held in his right hand as his blue eyes darted around the room. Before anyone could ask, Donal leaned forward and glared up at Reed as he announced firmly, “I will not call him!”

“But—“ Reed started to say but the old man leaned forward, both hands on the staff as he shouted, “I will not!” His body seemed to tremble but Luke didn’t think it was anger that was causing that; more like age.

Donal shook his head. “Though God Himself demanded it, I will not! You’ve damned me once—“

“Then you’re damned already,” Reed cut in calmly. “Why not do it again?”

“Because…” Donal’s voice trailed off and he leaned heavily on his staff even though he was sitting. When he began speaking again, his voice was soft and tight.

“Because the first time I did it I did not know what would happen. And now I do. I did not understand the price.”

“Your soul?” Clea asked.

Donal bowed his head and wiped at his eyes. “The price is that I spend every waking moment remembering what it was like to be him. Or drinking to try to forget.”

The old man looked up at them and Luke could see tears in his eyes. “Do you think…” Donal breathed as he rested his head against the hands holding the staff. “Do you think if I were to become him again, that I would ever let myself change back into this?”

No one spoke and the only sounds were that of the crackling fire and the soft despairing sob that slipped out of Donal. Luke shifted uncomfortably. He could remember being the one trapped on the inside and knowing everything that his grandfather had done while in control of his body. He knew that his situation wasn’t quite the same but…

“Can Thor remember?” When Donal looked up, Luke added, “I mean, is he able to see through you when he’s… wherever it is he’s at?” He made a face and gave the old man an apologetic look. “I’ve kinda been through that. Someone took over my body for…” decades “a while and all I could do was watch. I…” Luke shrugged, he wasn’t sure what it was he wanted to say, and looked away.

Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Donal’s blue eyes grow trouble as he dropped his gaze.

“Donal?” Susan said gently. The old man looked up at where her voice had come from. In the light of the fire, Luke could make out a distortion right at that spot as Donal leaned towards her.

“Donal, is he wiser than you?” she asked.

“Wh-what?” Donal stuttered as he shrank away from Susan, his shoulders hunching slightly.

“Is he wiser than you?”

Donal licked his lips. “Aye. His mind—it’s like a silver fish in a clear brook. Everything is simple for him…” The skin around Donal’s eyes tightened.

“Then why don’t you let him decide?”

A sigh slipped out as Donal lifted a wrinkled hand. “You were listening to me, weren’t you?” he said, his voice quivering as the distortion shifted and Susan placed her hand in his.

“I told you I was.”

They stood that way for a few seconds then Donal dropped his hand and slowly climbed to his feet, pulling himself up the staff hand over hand. When he was standing, he lifted the staff in both hands and breathed out, “Damn you. Damn you all,” then slammed the base of the staff hard against the floor.

Lightning flowed over Donal’s skin, as fluid as water, and arced above his head. Luke tried to watch what was happening to the old man but the lightning flashed so bright Luke had to look away. He blinked back his sight—there were slashes of red tinted afterimages of the lightening splitting up his vision—and by the time he could focus on where Donal had been standing, Luke found someone else standing there.

“You are wiser than all of them, Susan Storm,” Thor, the god of Thunder said.

“No,” Susan replied. “I just listened when he spoke.”

Luke stared up at the god. He was almost too tall for the meeting room—around a foot and a half taller than Reed—and seemed older than the pictures Luke had seen of the Thor he knew as one of the Avengers. This Thor really did look as if he had just walked out of Norse mythology.

Thor turned his head slightly and looked down at Reed. Blue eyes narrowed and a hand moved to rest on the hammer that hung from his belt. “Tell me then what I must do.” Thor’s voice rumbled and Luke would have sworn he felt it run through him like a bass note at a concert just as much as he heard it.

Reed opened his mouth but it was Doctor Strange who answered. _**We are running out of time,**_ he said, his voice distant and whispery. They all turned towards Clea whose eyes were now as blank as her husband’s.

“How long,” Reed asked.

_**Two days at the most. Perhaps only hours.** _

Reed drew in a deep breath as he frowned and looked out the door. There was still some light but it would not be there for much longer. “Let us hope,” Reed said as he turned towards the table and unrolled a parchment that was there, “that it will be more than a few hours.”


	10. Chapter 10

**_"I failed before…"_ -Rojhaz**

Standing on the edge of the clearing, Rojhaz watched the anomaly twist and turn as it floated a few feet above the ground. It was brighter than it had been and seemed to pulse now where before the glow had been steady. Rojhaz wondered if that was a reaction to Luke’s manipulations, or if Reed was right and this anomaly was about to tear time and space apart.

Rojhaz rubbed his temple, his eyes closing as phantom pain made his head ache. He would not have believed that the Super Soldier serum could have protected him from a point blank shot to the head but it had. He’d always assumed the serum worked in a similar way to Nick’s Infinity Formula, keeping him from aging while also giving him more than normal strength and healing abilities. But a shot to the head? No, he had not thought the serum could protect him from that.

Sitting down on the ground, Rojhaz leaned forward and continued to stare at the anomaly. It had taken him a long time to heal from his wounds, both from the gunshot and his passage through the anomaly, and even longer for him to remember who he was and what had happened to him though. By the time he was Rojhaz he had accepted that it was his fate to remain stranded in the past. There was no reason for him to go back. He had fought for what he believed up until the end but it hadn’t been enough. He had lost long before the authorities had captured him. The spirit that had made America great had died long before her defenders had been rounded up and taken down.

He did not want to go back. But now…

_**The event fifteen years ago damaged the nature of time itself; and, because time and space are one, it will soon destroy everything…** _

Leaning forward, Rojhaz pressed his forehead against the heels of his hands as an old anger resurfaced. _Everything I touch becomes corrupted. Even this! I could have fixed it—no one would have to die this time. Instead, everyone will die._

_And it’s all my fault…_

A scowl wrinkled his forehead. _No, this is not my fault. I did not ask to be sent here._ Looking up, Rojhaz stared at the anomaly though he did not see it.

_All Luke has to do is reach through the anomaly and destroy the device that sent me here. That would close the loop and keep time and space from collapsing. Then I can insure that the future happens the way it should, not the way it did._

_-No one should have that much power, Steve!-_

Rojhaz shook his head and tried to shove aside the memory of his last conversation with Nick before everything had gone down at the lake. Nick had been beyond angry when he had discovered what Luke was up to; and by the fact the Avengers had kept things under cover as they tried to figure out what to do with Luke. Once Nick discovered the truth of the situation, he had acted; forcing the Avengers to follow his lead.

_It won’t happen this time around_ , Rojhaz thought as he straightened and drew in a deep breath. _No one has to die._

_-You’re not his keeper, Steve.-_

A growl of annoyance slipped out as Rojhaz pushed himself to his feet and turned his back on the anomaly. His Nick was dead and buried. “I’m going to stay”, he said to the ghost in his head, “and I’m going to fix everything.”

The anomaly flared, bathing the clearing with light, then settled back into a slowly rising pulse.


	11. Chapter 11

**_"But what if I made it happen?"_ -Virginia Dare**

Virginia stood on the edge of the gathering with Jamie and Sarah and listened with half an ear at what was being said. The entire colony had been roused before dawn and was now gathered around Sir Richard as he explained what was to be done today. Most of those gathered were told to stay inside until everything was done. Virginia wasn’t sure why they would need to stay inside—the light was only dangerous when you touched it—but Sir Richard seemed quite insistent about that point.

She began listening a little more closely when she heard him say, “Several of you will be with me. And Rojhaz will need to be…” Sir Richard’s voice then trailed off and Virginia tensed when Sir Nicholas lifted his voice to call out, “Rojhaz?” A murmur ran through the crowd as Virginia bit her lip and tried to focus on the game Jamie and Sarah were playing.

Last night her father had talked to her after waking her as he put her to bed. It had been about Rojhaz. She had known, somehow, what it was that Sir Richard was going to do. That Rojhaz needed to be sent back to where he was from, that he couldn’t stay. It was important that he be returned home, but that had not stopped her from pleading with her father that he should stay. She remembered the story Rojhaz had told her and Mistress Clea and tried to tell it to her father but it had not swayed him. It wasn’t until she realized that her father would miss Rojhaz as much as she would that she had finally given up and hugged her father, crying until sleep had taken her.

She had hoped Rojhaz would stop to see her before the meeting began then decided it was better that he had not. If they could not find him then maybe he would stay.

“Hey! Girl!” Virginia looked up, surprised out of her musings when she heard Sir Nicholas’s voice and saw the man striding around the gathering. “You!” he said, when she met his gaze.

Jamie and Sarah looked over at the big man coming their way and quickly moved behind her. Virginia straightened, frowning slightly. She knew why he was looking for her. Just as she made the decision not to tell him anything, Sir Nicholas surprised her. Instead of just ordering her to take him to where Rojhaz might be, he crouched down so she could look at him without having to tilt her head back and said in a rough but soft voice, “Virginia. Do you know where Rojhaz is?”

“Probably across the river. Where the Indians used to be.”

“Can you find him?”

She pressed her lips together and drew back slightly as she told him truthfully, “Not if he doesn’t want to be found. He knows the countryside better than any of us.”

“We need him,” Sir Nicholas said, his voice urgent though he did not raise his voice. “Unless we find him, your colony is dead—“

“It will be dead without him,” Virginia said, raising her own voice. “Without the King’s help, we will not survive the winter if you take Rojhaz too!”

Sir Nicholas shook his head but did not turn his gaze away from her. “No, you can survive. Rojhaz has helped you but all he did was show you what you needed to know. Javier and his people as well as Reed and his have pledged their help to the colony. I count that as being better than any help you could have gotten from the King.”

Virginia blinked and looked over at the crowd around Sir Richard again. Everyone was standing all mixed together as one instead of separate even though her father had told her that officially the ones who had arrived on the _Eagle’s Shadow_ had taken over the colony.

“I would think too that Javier might be able to help you with your abilities as well, Virginia.”

Her eyes widened as she stared in shock at Sir Nicholas and then she whirled around to look at Jamie when she heard him slap his hand over his mouth. He looked at her, wide-eyed. Turning she looked back at Sir Nicholas. He shrugged his shoulders and looked calmly back at her.

“He only confirmed what I already suspected after I found you, Rojhaz, and Doctor Strange on the roof near Hampton Court after that man tried to kidnap you during your visit to England. The scars you left on your attacker’s face also gave you away.”

Unaware that she had taken a step away from Sir Nicholas until she bumped into Sarah and heard Jamie chanting, “Sorry, sorry!”, Virginia drew in a breath and pleaded silently _Don’t make me do this!_ A look of understanding crossed Sir Nicholas’s face as he gazed back at her. He didn’t seem to want to hurt her but they both knew that he would in order to finish what had been started.

_What have you done?_

_What I have always done._

Virginia struggled to look defiant as Sir Nicholas said, “Virginia, we need Rojhaz or we all die—not just Roanoke but all of us, and worlds beyond this one if Reed is right. We have to find him.”

Her defiance wavered. “Do you believe that?” she asked.

In Sir Nicholas’s good eye, Virginia saw a flash of something like the sadness she sometimes glimpsed in Rojhaz’s eyes as he answered, “I do not know if I do or not. But this is the role the Almighty has given me to play and I will play it til the end. And if nothing else, I trust Reed and he does believe that your light will bring an end to us all if we do not send him home.”

Virginia sagged a little then she narrowed her eyes. “You promise not to hurt him?” she asked.

“I promise. In England’s name, I swear.”

She bristled a little at that. England was King James and she had no love for him. As if sensing the reason for her hesitation, Sir Nicholas added, “I give you my word, Virginia; the word of a gentleman. Will you help me find him?”

She did not trust him entirely but her father did, as well as everyone else within the colony; and as much as she did not want to lose Rojhaz, he was never hers to keep.

Closing her eyes, she bowed her head.

“Yes. I will help you find him.”


	12. Chapter 12

**_"Stuff happens, and we deal with it as it comes._ -Luke Stark**

“Luke! Reed!”

An annoyed expression settled on Luke’s face as Reed raised his head over the crowd to see where Fury was. “What’s he want now?” he asked.

“I believe he may know where Rojhaz is,” Reed answered as he shrank back down. He looked quickly over at Ananias. “Please be sure that everyone follows my instructions. I hope that they will be unnecessary but the anomaly may react in a way I have not thought of.” He nodded his head in the direction Fury had yelled from. ”It seems Sir Nicholas has asked your daughter to help find Rojhaz. We will try and protect her while she is away from the colony as best we can.”

Luke could tell the governor of Roanoke was not happy about that but he slowly, though reluctantly, nodded his head. “I understand. I will make sure your instructions are carried out to the letter.”

“Wait a minute,” Luke said as he looked at Ananias then at Reed. “She’s just a kid—what’s she got to do with this?”

Ananias sighed. “She is the only one who will be able to track Rojhaz.” He rested a hand on Reed’s shoulder and said, “May you all return safely when you are done,” before turning to the rest of the colonists. As he walked away, Reed rested a hand on Luke’s back and guided him through the crowd.

Once they were free of all the people, Luke spotted Fury standing next to Virginia and two other kids. As they approached, Fury looked at the two and said, “Best if you both found your parents. I suggest you do exactly what they tell you.” The kids didn’t need any more encouragement than that; they broke into a run as soon as Fury was done talking.

_Lucky kids,_ Luke thought. 

“You are going after Rojhaz?” Reed asked.

Fury scowled. “We will try but I’ll make no promises.” He pointed at Luke. “Will you need him to open the rip before we can get Rojhaz to the clearing?”

Reed shook his head. “No, though I am still hesitant to use Luke. I have worked out what the terminal range is and he would need to be within that to accomplish what we need.”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” Luke said. He rolled his eyes and muttered, “Not like I haven’t fallen through a dimensional rip before.”

“But was that rip going to tear creation apart?” Reed asked.

“Well, no, but it’s not like it’d be a big loss if this one took me out.” He saw Fury’s eye narrow and he held up his hands.

“Hey, I’m not looking to commit suicide or anything, it’s just that…” Shaking his head, Luke crossed his arms. “Just that it wouldn’t be that big a loss if it killed me.”

“You are willing to die for us?” Virginia asked; a thoughtful look on her face.

Luke shrugged, a bit self-conscious at the way she had put that. “Well, unless someone else can hold that thing open…”

Virginia turned her head and looked up at Fury. He glanced down then looked at Reed. “Have Thor ready to strike as soon as we get there. Hopefully we won’t be too long behind you.”  Reed nodded and headed for the horses that were being brought out for the team heading for the anomaly.

Looking back down at Virginia, Fury said, “Probably best if you waited until we got outside the walls to change. You can decide later who else knows about your talent once this is all over.”

“We don’t need her,” Luke said as he glared at Fury. When the older man raised an eyebrow, Luke explained, “I can fly, you don’t have to risk her.”

“You can see through trees?” Fury asked. “And do you even know which way to go once you leave the colony?”

Luke glanced out through the gate then blew out a frustrated breath as he looked at the heavy mass of green in the distance. “Okay, fine.” He pointed at Virginia. “I don’t see how she’s going to have better luck than me though.”

“She knows these lands, and Rojhaz, better than anyone in the colony. She will lead the way.” Luke could tell from the tone of his voice this wasn’t up for debate.

“Fine, but she’s not coming with us when we head back to the anomaly, right?”

“She will need to lead us to it,” Fury responded then looked pointedly at Virginia. “But once he can see the rest of the way, I want you to head back here to your father.”

Virginia didn’t look all that happy with the arrangement. She lifted her chin imperiously as she met Fury’s gaze then she whirled around and stomp off.

A snort of amusement slipped out of Luke. “Think she just put you in your place.”

“I do not care what place she puts me as long as she leads us to Rojhaz. Come, before we lose her.”

Luke couldn’t see how they could lose her as they jogged past the wall surrounding the colony. When they caught up to Virginia, she leaned sideways to look back towards the wall then towards the trees then suddenly she wasn’t there any more. A large white dog was standing in her spot looking up at them with big blue eyes then it bounded into the forest.

“Oh,” Luke said. “So that’s how she’s going to find him.”

“Yes,” Fury said as he started after her. Luke looked up at the sky and the weird aurora shimmering there then took a deep breath and plunged into the forest after them.


	13. Chapter 13

**_"But it’s worth fighting for…"_ -Rojhaz**

Rojhaz heard them coming. He debated leaving them behind and slipping deeper into the woods, but that could put Virginia in danger so he stayed hidden atop a outcropping of rock, watching Virginia’s white shape moving sure footed through the trees, with Fury right behind her. He had expected Fury but that did not make this any easier. He absently rubbed a pebble between his fingers.

Clear of the trees, Virginia quickly ran to the base of the outcropping—her tail wagging—then looked over at Fury. When Fury reached her side, he braced his hands on his thighs, bent over as he caught his breath. “Damn, girl. I wish you could still talk. Have you lost his scent again?”

Slowly rising to his feet, Rojhaz tightened his grip on the pebble then suddenly flung it at Fury—missing his head by only a few inches. Fury’s head jerked up.

“Fury,” Rojhaz said as he clenched a hand into a fist. “I’m not going back.”

“Why not?” Swearing under his breath, Rojhaz swung around then looked up to find Luke floating in the air a few yards behind him. The sight was slightly unnerving—Luke had looked just the same at the end as he did now, one of the side effects of the powers he had inherited from his grandfather and for a moment Rojhaz’s mind was back in his own past facing a Luke who had asked him the same question though under completely different circumstances.

_Why not? I have the power to fix the world, Steve—why not me?_

Rojhaz closed his eyes and shook his head, shaken by the older Luke’s words. He had forgotten that conversation; he had forgotten many things.

Forcing himself to look at Luke, he said, “There’s nothing to go back to. Here I can change everything.”

_I have the power to fix the world…_

_No one should have that much power, Steve!_

Rojhaz turned his back on Luke to look down at this era’s Fury to plead his case.

“This is my country. The way it’s supposed to be; and they need me. I can’t leave them.” He took a step forward, his voice getting stronger as he spoke.

“We don’t have to make the same mistakes again. We’re here at the birth of a nation… of a dream. Nobody has to die. We can work together to protect them. My people.”

Fury narrowed his good eye. “Your people? One girl, currently in the form of a hound, and a handful of settlers? Your people?”

“They’re America,” Rojhaz said, standing tall and straight. “One day they’ll be America. And I…” Rojhaz’s voice faltered. _No one should have that much power, Steve!_ He shook his head again.

“I’ll make them proud to be Americans.”

“If you don’t return to your own time, there won’t be anything!” Fury shouted. “Don’t you understand?”

“I…” Rojhaz’s gaze slid away from Fury, his past and the present mixed and jumbled in his head.

“I know you, Fury,” he said softly as he looked unseeing into the distance. “I know all those people who have come to Roanoke. I knew you all, a long time ago. I remember Reed, and Sue, and Javier, and all of them. I…remember… you people…” Slowly turning, he looked up at Luke, a sad smile appearing.

“I’ve known you for a long time…”

=

“Rojhaz…” Fury’s voice pulled at him and he glanced down, resting a hand on an outcropping for support. “Come down, and we can talk about this.” Taking a step forward and holding out his hands, he added, “I won’t hurt you.”

“No closer,” Rojhaz answered, his free hand clenching into a fist.

There was an exasperated breath from Fury. “Look,” he said in a tone that was as insistent as it was familiar. “You said you knew me—someone like me. In another time. In another world. Tell me—would that other Nicholas Fury betray you? Would he lie to you? Think about it.”

Rojhaz stared down at the man—ancestor or other he couldn’t say—and found his convictions wavering. If he tried to shape the future alone he would fail just as he had in the future; but if he had help…

“I…” A sigh and a nod of the head. “I’ll come down.”

Fury returned the nod. “Good man.”


	14. Chapter 14

**_"I would never intentionally drop you."_ -Luke Stark**

When they had hit the marshes in their search for Rojhaz, Luke took to the sky. He wasn’t going to chance any contact with salt water now. In the open air above the marshes, Luke was able to get some height though all he could see was the top of green trees and in the distance, the ocean. Below him he could see Virginia bounding through the water, her white shape easy to spot in the morning light, with Fury slogging along behind her, keeping a pretty good pace even though the water was up to his knees in places.

Gaging where the two were headed, Luke surged ahead. The land was a little rumpled here and the trees rose and fell on frozen waves of ground, broken here and there by ridges of rocks that jutted out of the ground. Luke headed for the nearest one when he felt an odd tingle run up one side. Stopping, he turned to figure out what was going on when he saw a flash of color to his right. Nudging himself a little higher, Luke realized it was the anomaly that was causing the tingle. He’d felt something like it yesterday when he had been manipulating it under Reed’s orders, but now it was pulsing a whole lot stronger than it had last night.

That was probably a bad thing.

As he was trying to figure out a way to block the sensation—it was beginning to make his skin itch—Luke noticed there was some tingling going on in his left hand as well though nowhere near as strong as what the anomaly was generating. Looking to his left, Luke’s gaze was drawn to the outcropping he had been heading to. It took him a minute or two to spot the figure crouched down near the top of the outcropping, but once he did, he had no doubt that it was Steve.

_The anomaly must be trying to pull him back in_ , Luke thought as he glanced down. A flash of white showed him that Virginia and Fury were going the right way so he shed some altitude and slowly worked his way around to the back of the outcropping.

When he was close, Rojhaz stood up. Luke paused and waited to see what he was going to do but when he didn’t turn around, Luke inched a little closer. Staying just above Rojhaz’s line of sight, Luke managed to get close enough to see past Rojhaz to where Fury and Virginia were standing. The itching sensation was now focused in one spot; Luke wondered if that was because he was no longer between Rojhaz and the anomaly.

When he heard Rojhaz say, “I’m not going back,” Luke asked in disbelief, “Why not?” If he felt like he’d just gotten dumped into itching power, Rojhaz must be going insane. But when Rojhaz turned, clearly startled by his voice, and looked at him with what seemed to be fear, though Luke refused to believe that was what he was seeing, instead of pain, Luke began to rethink his theory. Maybe Rojhaz couldn’t feel the effects of the anomaly; maybe it was the Ionic energy that was letting him feel what the anomaly was up to. Moving sideways as Rojhaz and Fury talked, Luke raised a hand and curled his fingers together. Looking through the circle, the Ionic energy shimmering over his skin, Luke could see a glittering line that ran from the clearing the anomaly was in, all the way to Rojhaz.

Definitely a bad thing.

Dropping his hand, he looked back down at Rojhaz and Fury just as Rojhaz started down. Luke moved to help Rojhaz, diving down to lift him off the face of the rock but as soon as he was between Rojhaz and the anomaly, the Ionic energy cut out. Luke gasped and started to drop, his heart in his throat at the ground rushed up. Before he hit the ground, the Ionic power flared and he caught himself, stopping only a few feet off the ground. Carefully returning to an upright position, Luke slowly landed on the ground and looked up.

Rojhaz watched him from where he had stopped halfway down the outcropping then he looked down at Fury and continued his assent. Fury just raised an eyebrow in question. Luke shook his head; he had no idea what just happened.

Walking over to stand by Virginia’s side, Luke watched as Fury held out his hand to help Rojhaz down. When Rojhaz grabbed his hand and started to slide towards him, Fury said, “You know that other Nick Fury you knew…”

Focusing on the ground instead of Fury, Rojhaz answered absently, “Yes?” He hit the ground in a crouch and started to rise but Fury tightened his hold on Rojhaz’s hand and pulled.

“I’m not him,” Fury answered. Luke blinked in surprise and Virginia barked a warning as Fury brought up his other hand up and swung it down at the back of Rojhaz’s head. In his hand he held a rock and Luke winced at the sound the impact between the rock and Rojhaz’s skull made. Fury quickly let go and stepped away from Rojhaz as the man staggered a few steps and turned to face Fury. Virginia skittered sideways and bumped into Luke’s leg. He could feel her trembling as a whine slipped out.

Rojhaz managed to stand up straight and he stared at Fury for a few seconds. Fury stood directly in front of him, waiting, the rock still in his hand. Rojhaz took one step forward, then his eyes rolled up in his head and he slowly toppled to the ground.

Fury crouched down to check that the man was out cold then turned to look at Virginia. “I lied,” he said with a hint of regret. Virginia’s tail drooped as she stepped closer. She stretched her head towards Rojhaz then suddenly jumped back as a burst of energy leapt from the still form towards her. She gave a startled yip and took another step back.

Moving a little closer, Luke narrowed his eyes and held out a hand. As it passed through the line of power, Luke’s head started to buzz as if he were sticking his finger into a light socket. Quickly snatching his hand back, he said to Fury, “Did you have to hit him so hard?”

“Yes,” Fury answered without a hint of apology. “He was not going to come willingly and this way was quicker. He needs to be returned to his time but Reed did not say in what condition he needed to be in.”

“Yeah, well, I think we have a problem.” Luke opened and closed his hand, letting a little of his Ionic energy play over his skin. “I don’t think I can open the rip and get him through at the same time.”

“I’ll deal with getting him through.” Fury crouched down and pulled Rojhaz up onto his shoulders. Luke could see the strain lifting that much weight was on the man.

“When was the last time you slept, old man?”

Fury gave him a look as he straightened and started to stagger in the direction of the anomaly. “I’ll sleep when I’m dead. Go to Reed; tell him what problems you’re going to have once Rojhaz is near the rip. Just make sure to figure out how to get that damn thing open by the time we get there.”

Fury glanced down at Virginia. Virginia gave a bark and trotted ahead. Fury turned slightly. “Go,” he said sharply.

Not seeing any choice but to follow Fury’s order—it was clear that standing around arguing was just going to piss the man off instead of getting him to change his mind— Luke leapt into the air and followed the shimmer back to the source. When he reached the clearing he found that Reed, Thor, and Clea with her husband’s head held in her hands were the only ones there.

“Were you able to find Rojhaz?” Reed asked once he had landed behind the wall Reed had built to protect them from the effects of the anomaly. Luke was more than happy to find that the stones were thick enough to block some of the buzzing sensations the anomaly was causing when it brushed against his active Ionic energy.

Obviously some of his discomfort was showing since Reed immediately followed his first question with, “Are you all right, Luke?”

Luke shook his head and combed his hair back from his forehead. “Uh, we found Rojhaz; Fury’s bringing him now.” He squinted up at the sky. “Figure he’s a half hour away, maybe less. Um…” Luke peered over the top of the wall then sank down onto the dirt, the skin on his face tingling as he said, “We’ve got a problem.”

Reed raised an eyebrow in question. Luke gestured back over his shoulder. “I don’t know if I can get close enough to manipulate that thing anymore.” He dropped his arms. “Something’s changed since you had me playing with it yesterday.”

“Changed? In what way?”

“It claims what belongs to it,” Thor rumbled as he turned to look into the clearing.

_**Thor is correct**_ , Doctor Strange said. _**It is attempting to draw Rojhaz, and Luke, back to where they belong.**_

“Uh no, it’s just pulling Rojhaz, not me,” Luke pointed out as he peeked over the top of the wall. He could see the glittering line of power that tied Rojhaz to the anomaly but nothing more. He nodded his head. “I can actually see how it’s doing it.”

“As can I,” Thor agreed as he looked down at Luke. “But there is nothing reaching out to the young one.”

_**Rojhaz has been here longer—long enough to have become established in our time. It will require more energy that the rip is able to produce to draw him back, especially when he does not wish to return. If Rojhaz is not returned to his original time, the rip will tear apart this universe and those beyond ours in its attempt to restore the balance. You are correct that it has not begun to draw Luke, but it will do so soon enough.** _

“That is a worrisome way to frame the situation, Strange,” Reed said as he scribbled a formula down.

_**You do not agree with that observation, Reed?** _

The tip of the quill scratched over the parchment for a few seconds then Reed said, “Yes, though I wish I could say that I do not.” He looked over at Luke. “Are you certain that Fury will be able to bring Rojhaz here in less than an hour?”

“Pretty sure.” Luke ran his fingers through his hair as he added hesitantly, “I could try and fly him back if time is getting short though I’m not sure what would happen if I did touch Rojhaz. I’m kinda thinking bad things might happen.

_**Yes, they would. If you were to come into contact with Rojhaz now, it would only accelerate the end of existence.** _

“We will need to time this right,” Reed said as he straightened up and set the quill down. “If my current calculations are correct, we cannot risk Luke getting any closer to the anomaly until Rojhaz himself is a few feet away from it. Any sooner and the strain would destabilize the rip to the point that he would be unable to catch and open it properly.”

“This is about as close as I can get to the thing right now as it is! God knows what that things going to be like once Rojhaz is near it!”

Reed frowned. “Perhaps,” he said slowly, “if we could find some way to block the effects; shield you in some way so that you could approach the anomaly and still function.”

_**What material could you use that would counter the effects of the anomaly?** _

Luke found himself the focus of a sharp and thoughtful gaze as Reed stared at him and rubbed his chin. “Stone is clearly effective since it is only when he looks beyond the edge that he begins to show signs of discomfort. However that would block his line of sight if we were to build a wall closer to the anomaly.” A frown. “That would also take time that we do not have. Perhaps wood—though the sight problem may still be an issue with that material. Metal perhaps, or leather? Both of which we would need to get from the colony—“

“Wait.” Luke shucked his backpack and started pulling out the kimono and mask. The mask was steel and the kimono was stitched with silver metallic thread. Setting both down, he stripped off his sweater and put the kimono on. There was still ash on it but the silver threads still glittered in the sunlight. The mask was next. Once those were on, Luke took a deep breath, tucked his hands into the sleeves, and pushed off the ground. He hovered above the wall and faced the anomaly. He could still feel a tingling sensation all over but it was bearable now. The worst seemed to be wherever his skin was exposed.

Dropping back down, he took the mask off and wiped some sweat off his face with the sleeve of his kimono.

“Would I be correct in assuming that the mask is effective?” Reed said.

Luke scowled as he nodded his head. “Yeah, think this’ll work as long as it doesn’t take too long. Still doesn’t solve the problem of how we’re going to get Rojhaz through.”

“I’m not quite sure I follow you, Luke. Rojhaz can simply walk though—”

“Uh, no he can’t.” Luke rolled his eyes. “Rojhaz isn’t going to be walking anywhere anytime in the next hour or so.”

Reed looked puzzled for a minute then an understanding look crossed his features. “Ah. That is what you meant by Fury bringing him.”  He pressed his lips together then sighed as he went back to scribbling equations on the parchment. “Getting Rojhaz through the anomaly will not be a problem. And I believe I now know how you will need to open the anomaly.”

To Luke getting Rojhaz through was still an issue but he took a step closer to Reed and listened to his new plan for stopping the anomaly before it tore time and space apart.


	15. Chapter 15

**_"What should I…?"_ -Peter Parquagh**

“It’s Fury.”

Peter looked up from the spider he’d been watching. The spider was making its way down one side of the lump of rock he was sitting on. It reminded him of the spider he had seen in Doctor Strange’s study back in England; the one the Doctor had said the famous explorer Sir Richard Reed had found during his travels. That had been just before everything had started to go wrong.

“Peter, my crossbow.” Sir Banner held out a hand as he lifted his head from the telescope; a self satisfied smile on his face. Peter hesitated then took a few steps over to the rock Banner had set the crossbow on. Picking it and the bag that held the steel tipped bolts up, Peter carried them over to Banner then looked over in the direction the telescope was pointed as the man bent over to draw the bow.

Peter frowned at what he could see. He had no doubt it was Fury struggling up the hill in front of him but why was he carrying someone? Peter shaded his eyes.

_Rojhaz?_

“What’s he doing?” Peter exclaimed as he looked up at King James’s representative.

“What does it matter?” Banner said as he raised the crossbow up and rested the end of the wooden stock against his shoulder. “He’s here. So are we.”

Peter staggered back a step as a lump in his throat made it difficult to breath. His gaze snapped up to his former master. The man was silhouetted against a clear sky and even Peter would have found it hard to miss such an easy shot.

“It’s our time,” Banner murmured as he sighted down the length of the crossbow. Peter tried to move, to open his mouth to shout a warning, but he was rooted in place by the knowledge that if he stopped the King’s representative now, he would forfeit not only his own life, but that of his aunt and uncle as well.

_You do understand that if I surrender to you, Nicholas, it is because I trust you to do the right thing, for all of us._

_I understand that, Carlos._

Peter shook his head as the memory of his last visit to master Javier’s school flashed through his mind.

_…the right thing…_

Not allowing himself to think any more, Peter crouched down and was about to launch himself at Banner when something big and white knocked him off his feet. He hit the ground and rolled onto his side. A few feet away, Banner was also on his back; a white dog standing on his chest and snarling at the frightened man’s face.

“Peter!” Banner shouted. “Get this dog off me! Kill it!”

Peter’s hand went to the crossbow lying on the ground next to him, his hand brushing against the wooden stock, when he suddenly hesitated. “I…” he said as he stared at the dog. It was making no move to actually harm Banner though its teeth hovered right over Banner’s throat.

“Peter!” Banner tried to move but the dog snapped its teeth and he went still, though not silent. “Quickly! While I can still get a clear shot at Fury…”

Peter rose to his feet, the crossbow forgotten as he stepped over to Banner and the dog. He glanced up as he crouched down next to the two. Fury was carefully making his way down ward towards the clearing Banner and he had watched the evening before; the one with the odd light in it. He looked back down and found the dog staring up at him. The dog’s eyes were blue. They were eyes he had seen before.

“Kill the brute! Peter!”

Taking a deep breath, Peter crouched down and said softly so only Virginia could hear him, “Come on girl. Get off him.” He turned towards the ridge and found Fury gone. Somehow he knew he wouldn’t see the man again. Sighing, he held out his hand.

“You’ve done what you came for. We’ll not get Fury now.”

Virginia wagged her tail and jumped off Banner then sat down in front of him, panting a bit. Peter frowned; her white coat seemed to shimmer with several odd colors.

Behind Virginia, Banner staggered to his feet. “What was that?” he asked as he sat down on the rock Peter had seen the spider on. “What did you say to that dog? It almost seemed to understand you.”

“I…” Peter licked his lips. “I have always been good with dogs, Master Banner.”

The man frowned then shook his head and pushed off the rock. “Ah. Well, we missed Fury this time. But he will not avoid us forever.” After picking up the crossbow, he turned towards the ridge and shaded his eyes. To Peter he suddenly looked uneasy.

“The light,” Banner said, “it is so strange.” There was a pause and a slow exhale and Peter felt a shiver run up his spine.

“I think a storm is coming.”


	16. Chapter 16

**_"Whether I did right or wrong, I will only learn when I meet my maker."_ -Sir Nicholas Fury**

A groan slipped out of Nicholas as he worked his way around an outcropping of rock. He gritted his teeth and fought to keep his balance as he searched for stable footing. He had lost Virginia at some point but that did not matter; the rip was drawing Rojhaz back and any time Nicholas was force to turn away from the anomaly, he had to struggle against that pull.

_So,_ he thought as he tried to blink the sweat from his eyes, _I’ve fallen to this—a packhorse to fate and destiny. Can’t blame you for that though, can I Rojhaz. My own choices brought me to this though I still do not understand how you being here could bring about the death of all creation._

_I did understand what you were trying to say back there but you can’t change the past. What’s done is done. All we can do is shape what’s to come. You had given up on the future you had come from; that’s why I took away your choices and knocked you unconscious. You may not have had a choice in coming here, but you should not have hesitated to return to your time to fix what needs to be fixed._

The ground beneath the heel of Nicholas’s right boot shifted as he put his weight on it. He began to slide down the hill and there was a second when he felt as if he’d lost control but the pull from the anomaly was strong enough to shift Rojhaz weight as they moved out of alignment and Nicholas managed to get his footing back before dropping to his knees.

By the time he reached the bottom of the hill and started up the gradual incline that led up to the meadow the anomaly was in, Nicholas was exhausted. He was letting himself be pulled along with Rojhaz, focusing now on simply lifting one foot up and placing it in front of the other; trying to ignore the burning pain through his thighs each step brought. If he fell now, he would not be getting back up.

He stared at the ground before each step, watching for rocks or holes that might trip him up and noted in passing that the colors of the grass and the ground were changing. It was as if the colors were being leeched out. Nicholas almost paused when he glanced ahead and saw that the colors were retreating before him. He could just see the anomaly directly ahead; it appeared as if all the surrounding colors were being drawn in, just as Rojhaz was being drawn. The anomaly though looked just as it had last night when they had returned to the colony.

The wall Reed had ordered built was ahead and to his left but there was no one to be seen. Nicholas knew there had to be at least one person behind the wall though. “Reed!” he tried shouting but it was becoming difficult to breathe and his voice lacked the strength it needed to carry far. “Can you..hear me?”

There was no answer but Nicholas was not sure he would have been able to hear one anyway over his labored breathing and the blood pounding in his ears.

“I brought you…Rojhaz. Make it… happen.” Nicholas paused to gasp in some air.

“Whatever you’re…going to do…do it now…”

Nicholas kept his eyes on the anomaly, blind to everything but the cascading light, as thunder rumbled through the air above him.


	17. Chapter 17

**_"Right now, I just want to help those whose lives are finite."_ -Luke Stark**

“He is here,” Thor announced.

Luke pushed himself into a standing position, one hand resting against the wall for balance as he waited for the order to move. The mask covered his face again and the backpack was snug against his back. Beside him Reed and the others were crouched against the wall with the exception of Thor. He seemed unaffected by the energies the anomaly was kicking off. The God of Thunder stood a few feet back from the wall with his head turned to the right. Luke wasn’t sure if he was tall enough to see over the wall, but it was clear that he was watching something moving their way.

A few minutes earlier Clea had pointed out that the air was changing. At first Luke had no idea what she meant, there wasn’t a speck of wind and it felt like the world was holding it’s breath in the stillness that lack of movement produced. But then the Ionic energies had flared and Luke had watched in astonishment as the objects around him lost their colors to the air. They formed a fine mist and drifted towards the anomaly even though there was no wind to push it that way.

Luke could feel the anomaly pulling at him now and he leaned against the wall to help alleviate the strain.

Reed nodded in his direction. “Do you remember what I told you to do, Luke?”

Luke nodded his head then pursed his lips as he shoved off the wall. A moan slipped out; it felt as if he had a bunch of magnets under his skin and any minute they would pull their way out if he moved any further away from the anomaly. He opened his mouth to answer when he heard Fury’s voice calling them.

As he turned to look in the same direction as Thor, Reed stretched out his ear, making it cone shape in an attempt to hear better.

“Yeah, I remember,” Luke managed to grind out through clenched teeth. “But there’s no way in hell I’ll be able to open the damn anomaly and get Rojhaz through it.”

“That problem has already been taken care of,” Reed said. He did not look at Luke.

Zavier lifted his head and stared at Reed. “Nicholas?”

Reed sighed as he settled back into his human shape. “Yes.”

“Wait,” Luke exclaimed as he looked at Reed. “You said anyone from this time who got any closer than this would be killed by the energy that thing is kicking off. Fury’ll die if he carries—“

“He is already dead,” Thor said; his voice solemn.

For a moment Luke flashed back to when he was eleven, standing on a catwalk watching his dad run into the depths of the Castle just before Iron Man was forced to bring the Castle down to stop Luke's grandfather. His dad had left him— wanting to help, wanting to save lives— and he had died for that. This time around though Luke had what most people would consider the power of a god. What the hell kind of hero was he if he let another die when he had such power at his fingertips?

“It is time,” Clea said. Luke spun around, Ionic energy glittering around his hands. Clea looked back at him, unafraid and angry. “You need to open the anomaly now, Luke Stark, or all of this will be for naught.”

Luke opened and closed his hands then jumped into the air with a snarl. As soon as he cleared the wall, Luke lost his connection with the Ionic energy and dropped to the ground, hard. Stunned, he rolled onto his stomach then pushed off the ground to look at his hands. The energy was there but it wasn’t doing quite what he wanted it to do. Staggering to his feet, he started running towards the anomaly. Even though the coruscating light building up around the anomaly practically blinded him, Luke still had no trouble finding it.

He reached out and grabbed at the rippling Mobius strip the anomaly appeared as, but his fingers slid right off and Luke reeled drunkenly back a step. The strip had felt warm and malleable when he had touched it last night but now it was cold and smooth like polished steel. Through the twisting loops, Luke could clearly see Fury carrying Rojhaz towards him. An idea popped into Luke’s head. Reed had postulated that Luke would be able to open the anomaly as long as he stayed on the opposite side from where Rojhaz was entering it. But if he could open it then straddle both sides, he could pull Rojhaz in himself. It was possible everything left after the anomaly closed would go back to normal.

Deciding it was as good an idea as he was going to come up with, Luke stabbed his left hand into the bottom loop of the anomaly. There was a second where his hand pressed up against an invisible barrier but Luke called on his Ionic energy and forced his hand through. Before he could smile that it had work, Luke threw back his head and howled in pain. Nothing of his hand could be seen beyond the loop and Luke could feel the edges of the anomaly cutting into the bones further down as it continued to twist and turn.

Luke yanked himself free and fell back, his injured arm cradled against his chest. For a second he curled up on his side, afraid to look down, but when he realized there was no blood he glanced down and found everything the way it was supposed to be.

“Luke! Get that… damn thing open!”

Looking past his knees, Luke could just see Fury and Rojhaz. They looked washed out and insubstantial like a projection on a piece of glass; the landscape beyond them blurry but visible through them. As he rolled to his feet, Luke looked down and saw that the same was true for him as well—he could see the grass being crushed beneath his hands.

That sight got him moving though there was resistance when he tried to approach the anomaly this time. It was like the colors swirling through the air around the anomaly had taken on substance and Luke felt like he was passing through a wall of jello. Focusing on the Ionic energy, Luke forced himself to reach out again but instead of trying to grab it with his hands this time around, he visualized the energy wrapping around the twisting ribbon. When it caught he tried to pull it open, physically pulling his hands apart as if drawing a measuring tape out of its holder. When that did nothing whatsoever, Luke leaned forward and pushed his arms out. The anomaly resisted then there was a crack of thunder and a burst of light so bright that it blinded Luke. His arms tingling as electricity flowed down the anomaly and over the Ionic Energy.

Suddenly the bottom loop opened up.

Catching himself before he tumbled head long into the opening, Luke gasped a breath; he could taste the ozone in the air. The hair on his head and arms were standing upright and the anomaly was no longer twisting. Instead, it formed an arch with a loop at the top fourteen feet above his head. The bottom passed below the level of the ground.

Sweat poured down Luke’s face, the mask trapping the humidity around his face. The metal was heating up and every breath Luke drew in had a metallic taste to it. Luke had to blink rapidly to clear his vision.

Beyond the arch, Fury was only a few strides away from the anomaly and Luke yelled, “Just shove him through, damn it!” The look Fury shot him—as if Luke had lost his mind—had Luke swearing a few other words before he could add, “You don’t have to die too! Just—“

“Not your… decision, Luke. Do your.. job. I’ll… do mine!” Fury took the final step and there was nothing Luke could do to stop him.

As soon as Fury came in contact with the anomaly, everything reversed out. The pressure that was pushing Luke away from the anomaly was suddenly at his back and he fell forward. For a second he was sure he’d run into Fury and Rojhaz; instead he passed through them—was them for what could have been a few seconds or could have been forever. Then he was falling…

The impact with something hard and unyielding blew the air out of Luke’s lungs and broke the back of his skull and several bones in his neck, but before he could give in to the urge to throw up from the pain, the Ionic energy quickly stitched the bones ack together; wiping all but the memory of the pain away. He stared through the mask and the shimmer of Ionic energy running over it at the sky—and the top half of several modern skyscrapers—as he sucked in a breath of air and something else.

Exhaust fumes?

A helicopter crossed overhead then its shadow darkened his view, then it was Flame’s shadow taking its place.

“Are you all right?” she shouted as she dropped to her knees and raised the mask covering her face a little.

“What’da you think?” he answered back then realized he was shouting and every sound was muffled. Closing his eyes, he swallowed; his ears popped and he could hear sirens, people yelling, and the news copters hovering above his head.

Flame dropped the mask back in place and leaned back as he sat up; putting a hand against the back of his head. His hair was damp but the bone beneath it seemed intact. Flame pulled him forward a bit and Luke heard an “Ouch,” before she pushed him back upright.

“What happened?” she asked as Luke brought the hand up in front of his face. There was blood smeared across his fingertips.

“Long story.” Turning to look behind him, wincing as he did, he saw a pack of reporters heading their way.

“Think you can still fly, Luke?”

“Think so.” Flame dragged him to his feet and he bent over for a moment to quell the queasy feeling that hit when his sense of balance went off kilter.

Even with the mask back in place, Luke had no trouble seeing the dubious look in Flame’s eyes when she countered with, “You sure about that?”

Instead of answering that first, Luke said, "How long was I gone?”

“Gone?”

_Yeah, thought as much._ He took a step away from Flame and used the Ionic energy not busy still healing him to pushed off the pavement and into the air. His angle shot him off to the side of the news copters but one, much to his irritation, was facing him and had a good shot as he cleared the buildings and headed south.

Diving back down a mile away, he zigzagged through a few streets to lose anyone who might be following then found a clear rooftop to land on. Sitting with the backpack pressed against the wall protecting the heating and cooling units, Luke pulled off the mask and let his head fall back. He took a breath, then another, then wrapped his arms around his chest and started to shake.

He made it back, safe and sound; alive. But what the hell had happened there at the end? Nicholas and Rojhaz— what had happened to them after they had entered the anomaly? What about the X-Men he'd seen? What about Clea and Virginia? What happened to all the people of Roanoke when the anomaly closed?

Thoughts tumbled through his head. He closed his eyes and suddenly saw: Nicholas glaring at him with that studious gaze of his, eyes piercing through to the very core of his soul.

Then: A castle; England somewhere— or was it Spain?

Luke knew he was reaching for something that might or might not be there. His time in the past had happened; he was sure of that even if the history books said otherwise; and he could still feel a residue tingle across his skin from the anomaly. That wasn't his imagination.

But there was something else among his thoughts, something that felt more like a wisp of a dream than an actual memory. It was Nicholas, glaring at him; Rojhaz eyeing him with sad regard. He could feel them both as though—as though they were both in his head, fractured but there.

Had Nicholas and Rojhaz made it to where Rojhaz was supposed to go? If so, then Luke needed to stop thinking of the Indian named Rojhaz, and call him by his proper name. Steve. Captain America. Steve Rogers. He didn’t know much about the man, not even in this time. Steve had avoided him there in the past and now he felt why-- some terrible memory that hidden in that wisp of a dream. Steve was angered and saddened by what happened in his past; Luke’s future.

Luke took shaky breaths, forcing his body to calm down. The memory was there, just out of reach. Grab it, pull it closer. He had to know. He saw…

_Tony! Tony’s down, he’s..._

Luke’s heart caught in his throat as he experienced what Steve had, and then the view shifted and he saw: himself.  His heart stuttered as he watched the expression on a future version of him change and darken. Luke knew what was happening: the killer, the Monster, was about to be set loose. And Steve was afraid— he could feel it— afraid of what that Luke would do to the team for letting Tony fall.

Instead of turning on the team, the opposite happened. His future self had a different target in mind. He turned his power on the enemy and those who had followed him. Once that target had been eliminated, he turned all those who had done nothing to stop the enemy; those who just stood by and let people like that come into power.

He did not discriminate. He did not hesitate. He decided who was wrong and punished them.

And he knew from that memory the Avengers had no hope of stopping him.

Luke gagged, his stomach churning. He didn’t want this!

The foreign memory continued, unhindered by what he wanted. He watched through Steve eyes as the remaining Avengers chased him across the world, watched as more died by his hand.

In the end it wasn’t the Avengers who finally stopped him. Luke knew how they could kill him, should he ever go that insane, but clearly he had never told the Avengers how to do it. SHIELD did though. He felt his gut clench once more, watching as Nick sacrificed himself to make sure the deed was done.

A gasp broke the memory and Luke opened his eyes and stared up, his gaze locking on a communication tower rising up to his left.

That was why Rojhaz had treated him as he did. It explained so much.

Luke shook his head, dropping his gaze to his hands as he considered Steve’s memory. If Tony was the catalyst for his own insanity, then he had to do everything he could to protect Tony. Fuck whatever the drunk bastard thought, because there was no way Luke was going to let this future happen. He had to become a hero, no matter what; if just to protect Tony. It’s what Dale would have done—had done—for him. Luke would also have to make sure Fury knew what to do though Luke hoped that he could keep that future from happening.

A new feeling tugged at his mind, thinking of Nick. His mind drifted to Nicholas. Spymaster. Luke found himself intrigued by what he’d absorbed from the man in the passage through the anomaly. He wanted to know about the man and he searched for memories like the one he had seen through Steve, but it seemed the man guarded his secrets just as well in his mind.

Emotions came through, though, and Luke began to see the similarities between Nicholas and Steve, and what Luke could maybe assume was all variations there of: They would do what was right when necessary.

Luke needed to tell Fury. If that was all he did, then so be it. He had to make sure that someone knew how to destroy him. Their greatest threat was him. If he did ever lose control like that, like Steve had seen him do, then he wanted to be ended just as quickly. Losing control like that would mean that he failed to do his duty as a hero.

A huff slipped out as he scrubbed his face. Seriously considering being a hero was a new step for him. Two days ago it was the last thing he wanted. Because of Dale. Dale was the hero. He had told Nicholas as much and he would stick to that as the truth. But not using his power at all be a stain on Dale’s memory. Dad hadn’t had any powers, and still he had tried.

_“I have known many who have been called heroes, many of whom I consider friends, but they are simply men and women who have decided that the well being of their fellow man is more important than their own, nothing more.”_

Luke absently nodded his head as he remembered Nicholas’s words. The man may not have believed in heroes but he certainly understood what they were made of. He looked down at his hands, and the power shimmering there. “I have this,” he said to himself, his voice growing stronger, "and I have to do something with it. I have to do the right thing. It is what Dale would have done. Tony will hopefully agree.’


	18. Chapter 18

**_"A man always has choices..."_ -Col. Nick Fury**

“Colonel? Luke Stark would like a word with you.”

Fury raised an eyebrow at his secretary’s announcement. He had assumed he’d need to track the kid down to get the story on exactly what had happened in Tokyo a few days ago, not have the kid contacting him about it.

Leaning forward, he pressed a button and said, “Wants a word, huh? Well, set up an appointment—“

“He’s standing in front of my desk right now.”

“Is he now?” Fury drummed the fingers of his free hand against the tabletop for a few seconds before pulling up the file on the Tokyo Incident on his computer. “Right. Send him in.”

Resting his elbows on his desk, Fury watched as his secretary opened then closed the door behind Luke. The kid stopped a few feet in front of his desk, crossing his arms defensively over his chest. Fury wasn’t sure if Luke was still a kid chronologically speaking but until he started acting more like an adult, Luke was going to stay a kid in his head for now. Considering he was Tony Stark’s son, the likelihood of that changing anytime soon was probably nil.

Luke’s body language made it seem like he was ready for a fight though Fury got the immediate impression that it might not be him Luke was bracing to fight. Scowling, Fury turned the flat screen around and asked, “You here to explain this little mess, or is there something I missed that you’re here to enlighten me about?”

A defiant look settled over the kid’s features. “There was a threat; I dealt with it, end of story.” His gaze flicked to the screen then back to meet his. “I’m willing to pay for any damage I caused.”

“Insurance’ll cover that.” Fury tapped the screen. “It’s the time anomaly I wanna know about.” Surprise wiped the defiance away.

“Ya blinked out just before ya headed back down to put a crater in the concrete; and your clothing didn’t quite match up after that.” A quick tap on the keyboard brought up the before and after shots.

Luke stared at the screen. “Got stuck in an alternate reality for a few days before getting sent back.”

_'Sent back', not 'came back' . Interesting._   When it became clear that was all Luke was going to give him on the matter, Fury leaned back and asked, “So, if you ain’t here to talk about what happened in Tokyo, why are ya standing here wasting my time, Stark?”

Narrowing his eyes, Luke said after a moment’s hesitation, “Came to tell you how to take me out if you needed to.”

Fury managed to hide his own surprise as he leaned forward once again. “Now why would ya want to do that?”

“What, you don’t want that information?”

“Didn’t say that. Hell, considering where you got those powers of yours, knowing exactly how to take you down would be a godsend.” Fury scowled. “I’m just curious why you’re giving me the off switch cause I’ll bet my eye patch you haven’t given your dad that info yet.”

Several emotions crossed Luke’s face—anger, fear, loss—but it was determination that won out. “Does it really matter?” Luke asked.

The scowl deepened as Fury answered, “Suppose not. I just want to hear your reasoning behind all this.”

“Because you’d actually do it,” Luke said without hesitation. Fury couldn’t argue with that. It wasn’t as if he didn’t already have a few plans already set up if he had to take Luke down—or any other meta human in his files for that matter.

“Fine. Tell ya what; I’ll let you tell me how to take you out on one condition.” Fury pointed a finger at Luke. “You sign the next few years of your life over to me.”

“What?” It wasn’t quite a shout but it was close.

“If you want me to kill you, then I want something in return. Just because you had some vision of the future during your little jaunt doesn’t mean I can’t train you to stop that problem before it happens.” Fury rolled his good eye at Luke’s look of astonishment. “As if you’re the first person to storm into my office after having a revelation of the future. Believe me kid; time ain’t as rigid as ya think.”

He turned the screen back around. “You agree to SHIELD training and I’ll give you my word; I’ll take you out if you go off the deep end.”

There was a huff. “You’d do it anyway.”

“Yeah, but this way I might not have to.” He could tell the kid wanted to argue the point but he was also smart enough to see the logic in that statement.

Luke dropped his arms and said, “All right, it’s a deal.”

Nick nodded his head. “Right. Be back here Monday at 9 a.m. for the SHIELD exams. Bring a pencil.”

“Oh, come on!”

“Just because you’re Tony Stark’s son doesn’t mean you’ll be getting any special treatment from me. You’ll start here the same as everyone else. Once you pass the exams—if you pass ‘em—then we’ll start on your training; beginning with everything ya did wrong in Tokyo.”

“Fine.”

“Fine what?”

A pissed off look appeared on Luke’s face and he clenched his fists before he managed to say through clenched teeth, “Fine. Sir.” It was surly but Fury was more than willing to take it.

“Great. Now get your ass outta my office. I don’t wanna see hide nor hair of you until Monday, got it?” He turned away from Luke and made a note confirming the time shift on the Tokyo file. Luke didn’t move for several seconds then he spun around and marched out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Fury chuckled under his breath; not the first time that had happened either.

The humor quickly faded as he closed the file and wondered exactly what the kid had seen to make him willing to tell him of all people how to take him down. He was only just beginning to realize Luke hadn’t mentioned his grandfather during the exchange; Nefaria taking over Luke had been the scenario when Fury figured they’d have to use lethal force against the kid. Luke had said _take me out_ , not _take Nefaria out_. He might have been referring to Nefaria but Fury doubted that.

On the upside, if the kid didn’t kill him before finishing his training, he might just have another asset to add to the Avenger roster.

Deciding that whatever had brought the kid here wasn’t worth worrying about—if he needed to know he’d find a way of getting that info out of Luke—Fury leaned forward and opened the intercom to his secretary.

“Mala? Get Iron Man on the line. Think we’ve got a few things to discuss.”


End file.
